The Way We Are Part Three
by Nvrmore
Summary: Our favorite Marauders continue to grow up, and maybe mature if they must. Not DH compliant. Rated for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer - Usual. Pretty much everything belongs to Rowlings.

Chapter 45

"I… YOU…" Mrs. Black didn't seem to know where to start her rather loud tirade on the indignities she had suffered at the train station.

Sirius watched in amusement as his mother fumed; but somewhere in the back of his mind, warning bells were going off that this was going to get bad.

"How dare you!" She seemed to settle on this statement as it covered everything, since everything was Sirius' fault. With an abrupt change, she turned to Regulus and said, "Go to your room, dear. We have some things to discuss. I'll call you down later for supper." She even managed to give him a small smile.

Regulus looked from his mother to his brother and back again. He nodded once and headed upstairs.

Mrs. Black grabbed Sirius by the arm with the intent of dragging him to his father's study. Sirius wrenched his arm out of her grasp, causing her to look at him in surprise. "Go!" she commanded.

Sirius went, but that simple act had an unexpected effect. He suddenly realized he was fourteen and tall for his age, with a naturally athletic build. His mother was shorter than he, and he was only a few centimeters shorter than his father. They could no longer physically bully him. In addition, he had three years of magic under his belt, much of it beyond what normal kids his age were learning, thanks to the Marauders regular "study sessions" in the abandoned classroom. At the very least, he knew various shield and blocking charms. He was no longer helpless to defend himself against magical punishments either; not that his parents had resorted to either type of punishment often. This gave him a new sense of independence and power; he was no longer helpless to the maniacal whims of his parents. He smiled, his new found confidence ironically making him externally appear like the epitome of all things Black.

When they entered the study, Mr. Black looked up at his wife and son. Sighing, he laid down quill. "I assume there is a reason for that ridiculous grin?"

"Sorry sir," Sirius answered, not able to wipe the grin off his face.

"Your son," Mrs. Black began, still not quite able to express what happened at the train station. "I… never!" Gaining some composure, she continued, "One of his filthy muggleborn _friends_," she glanced at her son waiting for a reaction, but he was still grinning stupidly, "tried to shake my hand!"

Sirius' expression became wistful and his smile grew, "Yes. Bloody brilliant."

"Watch your language, boy," Mr. Black warned.

"Then he hugged her! In public!" Mrs. Black continued listing his offenses.

"Said I loved her, too. Don't forget that," Sirius interjected.

"I… Do… Do you see? He's lost his sanity, Orion." To Mrs. Black's horror, Sirius wrapped his arm around her neck and kissed her on the cheek.

"I had to get something from you, mum."

Mrs. Black went to slap him, but he blocked her hand and took a step back. He saw motion out of the corner of his eye and whipped out his wand, muttering a blocking spell, not sure if his father had cast anything or not, but he wasn't going to take the chance. Then he pointed his wand at his father and all amusement or trace of a smile was gone from his face. His eyes burned with anger as he stared his father down. "No! I will not be cowed anymore! Do what you will, but I'm done wondering – hoping that I will one day be good enough for you or that maybe you might even change." As an afterthought, he add, "At least my friends accept me for who I am."

"But that's not who you are. You are a Black. You were born into a noble house…"

"Noble? I didn't know what nobility was until I met my friends. Any nobility I've gained, I learned from them!" This was the wrong thing to say. Both his parents cast spells and Sirius could only block one. He chose to block his father's, figuring his would be the stronger of the two. His mother's spell sent him flying into the bookcase to his right. He fell to the floor, along with a few volumes from the shelf. As he pulled himself shakily to his feet, he was glad he had instinctively kept hold of his wand.

"Why can't you see that we are trying to make you who you're meant to be, and not let you settle for something less than what you're worthy of? We are trying to help you. Keep you safe."

"By throwing me into a bookcase? No thanks. I don't need that kind of help." Sirius headed for the door, not sure if his parents would let him leave or not.

"Go to your room until you are willing to discuss this rationally," Mr. Black said.

"See you September first," Sirius muttered on his way out.

Once he had left, Mrs. Black turned to her husband. "He's not going to listen to talk."

"No. I think you're right." Mr. Black stared contemplatively at the doorway through which his son had left. "I'm just not sure what to do."

The next few days were surprisingly easy for Sirius. On the few occasions he crossed paths with his mother, shouting matches inevitably ensued. He rarely saw his father, except in quick glimpses as one was leaving the room the other had entered. And he made life miserable for Regulus, pulling innocuous pranks on him just to get a reaction. Regulus even started retaliating, making it something of a game. Sirius dared to think he even spied Regulus smiling once or twice as they passed each other in the hall, each one trying to trip the other.

During the last week of June, Mrs. Black yelled for Sirius to come downstairs. He trudged down the stairs and faced her. He noticed she was holding a very official-looking letter from Hogwarts, but it was far too early for the regular yearly letter listing this year's supplies. He frowned slightly.

"What have you done now?" Mrs. Black yelled.

"I have no idea. What have I done now?" Sirius said in a bored voice.

She handed him the letter.

_Dear Mr. Sirius Black,_

_Your presence is urgently required at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The floo connecting the Black residence with the Headmaster's office will be available at four o'clock sharp. Please be packed and ready at that time._

_Deputy Headmistress,_

_Minerva McGonagall._

Sirius flipped over the letter, wondering if it was some kind of joke or scam that James had thought of to get him out of the house. But James would never be able to manipulate the floo network – though his father was rather influential. _What's the date? Oh no!_ "Remus," he said in a barely audible voice. He turned and ran back to his room to gather his things, taking the stairs two at a time.

"What? Where are you going?" Mrs. Black yelled after him.

Last night was the full moon. He couldn't help but wonder if something had happened to Remus. After all, he had decided to stay at the school for the first full moon of the summer. Sirius was already packed, still living out of his trunk, as he had last summer, so he grabbed it, magicked it down the stairs, and set it in front of the fireplace. It was only twelve. He paced before the fireplace, vaguely aware that his mother was talking in the background, when suddenly his pocket vibrated, startling him. He ran to the bathroom.

"James!"

"Yeah. You get the letter?" James sounded as anxious as Sirius felt.

"I'm set to leave at four. You?"

James nodded, "Same. Wonder if they contacted Peter, too." James obviously thought it had something to do with Remus as well.

"Probably. Look, I gotta go, but I guess I'll see you at four."

James nodded again, then disappeared.

Sirius came back to the living room.

"Sirius Black!" Mrs. Black yelled. "What is going on?"

"Haven't a clue," Sirius said distractedly.

Mrs. Black didn't seem to know what to say to this. Instead, she sat silently watching her son pace. Mr. Black joined them in the living room at 3:30. Regulus hovered, sometimes standing in the doorway, sometimes disappearing for a while, only to return and hover some more.

Finally, at four, the fireplace flames turned emerald green. Sirius and Mr. Black (Mrs. Black stayed at the house with Regulus) stepped into the fireplace and were whisked away to the school.

For all the times Sirius had been in trouble, he had never seen the Headmaster's office. He looked around in amazement at all of the portraits, noting the one of Phineas, and magical devices around the large room. Most of the items he had never seen before and had no clue what they did.

James and his parents had already arrived, and Peter and his mum stepped out of the fireplace just after Sirius and Mr. Black moved out of the way.

Sirius immediately went over to Mrs. Potter, who hugged him comfortingly. She put one arm around James and the other around Sirius.

"Charles," Mr. Black acknowledged Mr. Potter, his eyes flashing dangerously as he watched Mrs. Potter interact with his son.

"Orion," Mr. Potter greeted just as coolly.

Mrs. Potter offered a small smile to Mrs. Pettigrew, but she was already almost in tears, even though she had no idea what happened.

Mrs. Pettigrew haltingly smiled back. She stood behind her son, with a hand on each of his shoulders. Peter, of course, looked nervous and cast furtive glances at Mr. Black. Mrs. Pettigrew seemed to prefer not to acknowledge Mr. Black, who obliged her, considering Mrs. Pettigrew was beneath him anyway.

They stood in tense silence until Professor Dumbledore entered the office and glanced around the room. "Good. You're all here. I'm afraid I have some bad news." He looked more solemn than Sirius could ever remember seeing him before.

Just then, Professor McGonagall entered the room. "Sorry Headmaster. He just fell asleep."

Sirius and James both visibly relaxed, assuming that "he" was Remus, though they were still tense.

Dumbledore nodded. "Good. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to say what needs to be said. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, Remus' parents… have been killed."

There was a collective gasp and a few curses from the group when they heard the news.

"Can we see Remus?" James asked.

"As you have heard, he has just fallen asleep."

"Yes, sir. I know. But can we go anyway? Just to sit."

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "Yes. Minerva, if you would. Please escort the boys to the hospital wing. I have some things to discuss with their parents."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Come on, boys." Her voice was strained and cracked. She led them to the hospital wing, and the boys gathered around their friend's bed, much like they did the morning they found out he was a werewolf. They sat and waited for him to wake up.

Madam Pomfrey bustled over. She had obviously been crying. "I've given him a draught of dreamless sleep. He will most likely sleep until tomorrow. I will make up the beds for you."

"Thank you," James said.

Chapter 46

Remus could not have had a better start to his summer. He had been granted permission to stay at Hogwarts for his first transformation of the summer. If he had really wanted to, he could have come back for the last transformation, since it was so close to the beginning of the school year. Professor Dumbledore had opened the school for the summer to any student who wished to stay. Remus had a suspicion that this had something to do with the attacks on muggle-borns and half-bloods. But he did actually want to spend some time with his parents, and so decided to return home after the first full moon.

He practically had the whole castle to himself, and he smiled when he thought of how envious the guys would be to know they could wander anywhere, uninhibited. He also had a few days to get his classwork done for the next term.

He had already heard from Aden four times, and they were both looking forward to seeing each other. He even planned on inviting her home to meet his parents.

Madam Pomfrey had informed him that, starting in the fall, she would to teach him the spells for the Whomping Willow and for locking the door to the tunnel, and he would be solely responsible for getting himself to the Shrieking Shack for his transformations. Remus was secretly grateful for this new responsibility, as it meant, if the others ever did figure out how to become animagi, they would be able to join him without having to sneak past Madam Pomfrey or anyone else.

But this June night was the same as all the other full moons he'd spent at Hogwarts. He and Madam Pomfrey walked to the Whomping Willow, talking casually of summer plans and fall classes. In the morning, he was only semi-conscious when she came to retrieve him, and he slept – unaware that, for the second time in his young life, a full moon would turn his life upside-down – the first, of course, being when he was bitten.

Madam Pomfrey expected Remus' parents to arrive by eleven in the morning, so if she needed to pass on any instructions to them, they would have plenty of time to discuss things before Remus awoke.

When there was no word from them by eleven thirty, she hustled up to the Headmaster's office. They attempted to make contact with the Lupins, but to no avail. Professor Dumbledore insisted that Madam Pomfrey stay with her patient and he would take Professor McGonagall with him to investigate.

At noon, she received word from the Headmaster that Remus' parents were dead, requesting she not to say anything to Remus if he should wake up early, and that Dumbledore was on his way.

Remus woke up shortly after two. After assessing his injuries, he lay in bed and listened to the sounds of movement and whispering. He recognized Madam Pomfrey's voice right away and smiled.

"He's awake," he heard her say. There was something wrong though. Her voice was thick and hushed.

Remus sat up and rubbed his eyes. Once they were finally open, he looked around. Madam Pomfrey was standing behind… Professor Dumbledore? _Why is he here?_ Remus was suddenly very awake. He looked back and forth between the two adults. It looked like Madam Pomfrey had been crying, and Professor Dumbledore, sitting in a chair beside Remus' bed, wore a sad expression that Remus had never seen before, not that he had been around the Headmaster often.

"Mr. Lupin," Professor Dumbledore started. "Remus… I have some news – about your parents."

_No. no. no. no. no… _

"They've been murdered." There really was no easy way to break that kind of news to someone, let alone a child. Dumbledore couldn't help the surge of anger that arose in response to the insanity of it all. Voldemort was killing and hurting _his_ students. It was one thing to fight a war with adults. It was entirely unacceptable to involve children.

With the words spoken, the denials stopped in Remus' head. Everything seemed to stop.

"Remus." Madam Pomfrey stepped forward. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Remus! Breathe."

With a gentle shake, everything started working again, except his heart – his heart hadn't started yet. Before Madam Pomfrey could say anything else, Remus was getting up out of bed. "How?" he asked.

Dumbledore watched as Remus found his clothes and went behind the curtain to get dressed. He waited until Remus reappeared before answering. "It appears… Fenrir and at least one pup." Remus' eyes locked onto Dumbledore's at the name Fenrir. "They came to your parents last night."

Remus nodded understanding and a tear slipped down his face, but he finished getting dressed. "I want to see."

"No… Professor!" Madam Pomfrey protested, but Dumbledore nodded, and stood to take Remus home.

They walked to Dumbledore's office in silence. Remus felt like he was going to be sick, but he swallowed and kept walking. Once inside the office, Dumbledore contacted the Ministry and put in an emergency request to connect his floo to the Lupin residence.

Within two minutes Remus was standing in his own living room. He examined the mess before him. The house was in shambles. Whatever fight had taken place went through a good portion of the house. Dumbledore turned to lead Remus outside, but he didn't follow. Instead, he went up the stairs. There was blood spattered in various places, bloody hand prints, and debris, and it all led to the master bedroom. He was just about to enter the bedroom when a gentle but firm hand grasped his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Professor Dumbledore standing behind him.

"No, Remus. Come this way," he said quietly.

The Headmaster led him outside and toward some Ministry officials with whom Professor McGonagall was speaking. Beyond them, Remus saw two covered bodies. He headed toward them and faintly heard McGonagall protest, but he wasn't really listening. His world, all his perceptions, focused down to the two people lying before him. Someone, he didn't know who, pulled back the sheets just far enough for him to see the faces of his parents. By their faces, it was impossible to guess at the violence that had taken place the previous night.

"Why?" he asked Professor Dumbledore, while reaching out to touch his mother's face.

He ran his fingers through her hair as Dumbledore said, "I can only guess."

"Then guess!" Anger. Well, at least he could feel something.

Professor Dumbledore sighed. "Probably because they were denied you."

Remus nodded. He had figured it was his fault. He ran his fingers through his father's hair before turning back to Professors Dumbledore. "I'm ready to go back."

Dumbledore and McGonagall returned with him. They walked him back to the hospital wing. McGonagall stayed with him while Dumbledore left him to attend to other business. Madam Pomfrey gave him some potion, which he drank without caring to find out what it was, and he crawled back into bed without changing out of his clothes. He pulled the sheets up over his head, and the child still in him told him this was a really vivid, bad dream. If he went back to sleep, when he woke up again, everything would be fine.

But everything wasn't fine. When he woke up, he found himself surrounded by his friends, and that meant it wasn't a dream, because they'd never be in the hospital wing after holiday had started, the day after a full moon.

As soon as the others saw he was awake, James moved to the foot of his bed and Sirius moved to sit next to him.

"How are you doing?" James asked.

"Fine," Remus said.

"No you're not," Sirius protested.

Remus sighed.

After about an hour of sitting in silence, Remus said, "I think I yelled at Professor Dumbledore." There was a hint of a smile in his voice.

"Nice!" Sirius said, trying to sound impressed. Taking this as an okay to talk, Sirius asked, "So… what happened?"

James and Peter shifted in their seats.

"Fenrir," was all Remus was able to say.

"The werewolf?" James asked.

"The werewolf who bit you?" Sirius clarified.

Remus nodded.

"Why? Why now?" Sirius asked.

Remus got up and walked over to the nearest window. "Me," he said, just loud enough for the others to hear.

"Bugger."

At this point, Madam Pomfrey brought food in for everyone. It was a thoughtful, but useless gesture, as none of the boys felt like eating.

Remus stayed by the window for a while, then he turned to leave the hospital wing. "I'm going for a walk." Sirius and James made moves to get up and follow, but he held up his hand. "Alone."

The three remaining Marauders exchanged looks.

After he had left, Sirius stood up and walked to the window Remus had been occupying. "I feel so useless. Why were we even asked to come?"

"Because. Whether he knows it or not, he needs us. So we're going to stay here and let him deal with things in his own time," James said sagely.

"I wonder how many people know," Peter thought out loud.

"Why?" James asked.

"Well… I mean, does Aden know? Who else knows? I bet if he could see all the people that care about him, it would help. Maybe," Peter explained.

"You know, that's not a bad idea. I'll be right back."

As James was leaving, Madam Pomfrey said, "James, dear, your parents wanted to see you. They're staying in guest chambers on the first floor." She gave James directions to their room and he thanked her as he left. They were exactly the people he wanted to see.

James found his parents and talked with them about getting people together for the funeral. They agreed to help in any way they could.

The funeral was just a couple of days later. It was held in a private church in the village near where Remus lived. There was a large number of muggles – friends that his mum had made by working in the village – and an equally large number of students who had shown up to offer Remus support, having been contacted by the other Marauders about what had happened. Lily and Gillette were there, as was Addison, Frank – almost all of the Gryffindors from their year and up. There were several Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as well. It was a testament to the type of person Remus was that, despite his shyness, he had impacted so many others.

Had he been able to comprehend what was happening, Remus would have felt honored. But after two days of entirely too much thinking, he had shut his brain down, too.

The whole event was very sad - not only because of the deaths, but also because Remus seemed to have lost himself. He had retreated within himself and his friends worried that he might not find his way back.

Aden sat with him through the entire ceremony, and again at the reception afterward. She held his hand, though he didn't hold hers back.

When the day was over, and he was back at school, he walked zombie-like to the Gryffindor dorm room and fell asleep. His friends, who returned with him, were at a loss as to how to help him.

A few days later, Remus found himself wondering the castle. It wasn't until he entered the hospital wing, that he knew where he was going. He sat down on the bed he usually occupied after a transformation and stared out the window. Just a few short minutes later, he heard the familiar footsteps of Madam Pomfrey coming toward him.

"Remus dear? Are you ill?" she asked.

"No ma'am. I just… ended up here."

She fussed over him a bit, checking his forehead, taking his pulse. "When's the last time you've eaten?"

Remus shrugged. "I don't know."

Madam Pomfrey frowned. "Oh, dear child."

Suddenly struck by a terrible thought, Remus asked, "Will I have to leave?"

"What? No! Don't be silly."

"But… I'm an orphan now," Remus said, a tear escaping past his numbing cocoon. "Don't I have to go… somewhere?" Remus started rattling off questions about money and provisions; where would he live and go to school?

"Shh, shh, child. You're not going anywhere. You see," Madam Pomfrey said with a smile, "I have been declared your legal guardian."

"You?" he said in surprise.

"Yes. This way, you can stay here all year. You'll be safe here, and we already have a place set up for your transformations, so no special provisions would need to be made."

"Why you?" he asked, not unkindly.

"Because I asked to be."

There was only one person in the world that made him feel even close to how his mum made him feel, and that was Madam Pomfrey. After attending Hogwarts for three years, Remus had built quite a rapport with her as she took care of him every month. The fact that she, knowing everything that happened – knowing that it was his fault his parents were dead (or so he believed) – and she had still requested to watch over him… He felt his heart start beating again. With it came pain unlike anything he had ever felt before, but also came love. Remus crumbled and fell into the arms of the woman who would now watch over him and, without disappointing, she held onto him and didn't let go.

There are some hurts that no potion in the world can heal, but love and time have a magic all their own.

- - - - -

A/N - Well - welcome to Part 3. Hope you enjoyed the double-feature. Thank you to all who have been so encouraging throughout this story. Thanks also to my ever faithful support system - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 47

Peter had left the castle a few days after the funeral. His mum had last minute errands to run for the wedding and she wanted his help. The wedding took place at the beginning of August. It was a small, intimate ceremony and Peter wished he could have invited the other Marauders, as it was also incredibly boring. But once the wedding was over, Peter was allowed to return to the school. It was just as well, he had no intention of joining his mum and John on their honeymoon.

Sirius had declared Professor Dumbledore his hero. He had no idea how the wizard had gotten his parents to agree to letting him stay at the school for the summer, but he was grateful. Mrs. Potter, who was present for the confrontation, simply smiled and said that one does not insult one of the most powerful wizards in England, or question his judgment, without some sort of consequence.

James, of course, had been allowed to stay, which was good for everyone. He became the stabilizing influence of the group and kept everyone on an even keel. He prevented Sirius from killing himself when he got bored and goaded the many creatures that lived on the Hogwarts grounds into fights for his amusement. And he kept Remus from wallowing for too long.

Time during the summer worked in an odd, warped way. There were days that dragged on impressively and seemed to last forever, and then there were weeks that flew by and the guys couldn't remember where the time went. They spent many hours down by, and in, the lake. They continued exploring the castle and grounds and were rewarded by finding more secret passages, bringing their total of secret passages that led off grounds to seven. They also focused a lot of time on reading the book Sirius had bought and trying to learn how to do wand-less magic. The most success they had was getting a quill to fall to the floor, but they were never sure if that was wand-less magic, or if a breeze coming through the open window had blown it off the desk.

Though the Death Eaters were unusually quiet, there were two more werewolf attacks that summer – one with each full moon. The muggle papers were reporting about an odd, twenty-four hour flu infecting the muggles that summer. The symptoms included chills, nausea, and in extreme cases, hallucinations and passing out. The Dementors were obviously still on the loose. Add to that a break in at the Ministry of Magic, and it was hard to continue calling these events random. The Ministry was refusing to comment on the nature of what had been stolen, but most people figured it was something major since the Ministry was being as tightlipped as they were.

As the school year approached, Remus became more like his old self, slowly but surely. After his night with Madam Pomfrey, he felt he was finally able to start moving forward, though there were things he still avoided. He had not returned home. The house was now in his name and he could return any time, but he wasn't ready yet, so he pushed it off. He also avoided Aden. She had written him almost daily and, while he felt bad for not responding, his guilt over his parent's death reinforced, in his mind, why he should not have gotten involved in the first place. He knew that once she got back to school he'd have to talk with her, but he wasn't ready for that either.

The week before school started, Mr. and Mrs. Potter arrived at Hogwarts to take the boys to Diagon Alley for their school supplies. The Potters bought James' and Sirius' school supplies, unbeknownst to Sirius who naively believed that another miracle had taken place and his parents had handed over the money to buy his things. He could be wonderfully unaware at times. Peter's mum and John met the group in Diagon Alley and they all had lunch together.

The day was hardest on Remus, as he now had to do everything himself. It wasn't that he was incapable, it was just that it was a painful reminder that his parents were no longer watching out for him. Mrs. Potter had offered to take care of most of the shopping for him, but Remus insisted on doing most of it himself.

The Start of Term Feast was awkward, at first, for Remus. A lot of people stared at him or cast furtive glances his way. A few came up to him, offering their condolences. He was quickly annoyed, however, at the constant gentle tones that everyone seemed to have adopted when speaking with him, as if they thought he was made of glass and talking too loudly would make him shatter.

After the tenth girl came up to Remus and gave him a hug, Sirius, smirking and staring directly at Remus, said, "You know, if I had known the attention I could get from the ladies, I think I would have offed my parents, too."

Several of the surrounding Gryffindors gasped at the inappropriateness of his joke. But Remus actually laughed. "You would."

This exchange broke the tension that had enveloped Remus, and he looked thankfully at Sirius when people started talking and joking with him, instead of whispering and coddling him.

When the Feast was over, and everyone got up to leave, Remus noticed that Aden was trying very hard to get to him through the crowd. He hurried to lose himself in the throng. This was one conversation for which he was not ready.

The other Marauders noticed his hasty retreat and glanced around. Understanding came to them when they saw a very frustrated and hurt-looking Aden staring after him.

Back in the common room, the Marauders took their usual seats with Remus. He and Sirius sat on the couch while James and Peter took the nearby arm chairs.

"So why are you avoiding her?" Sirius asked.

Remus shrugged, continuing to stare into the fireplace. The light of the fires enhanced the color of his normally yellow-hazel eyes, making them glow. Frowning, he said, "I'm going to break up with her."

"Why?" Peter asked in surprise.

Remus looked over at him. "Because. I don't… I can't…" he sighed. "I don't want her to get hurt."

"It wasn't your fault, mate," James insisted.

Remus leaned forward and whispered angrily, "They weren't killed by Death Eaters. They were killed by werewolves – Fenrir. It wasn't random! How can you possibly say it's not my fault?"

"You weren't even there," James protested.

"Yes! And if I had been…" Remus sat back on the couch again, looking defeated, "If I had been, they might not be dead."

"Look," Sirius began, but Remus stood up suddenly.

"I'm going to bed."

The guys watched him go, unsure what, if anything, they could do.

Just then, Gillette plopped down on the couch next to Sirius. He lifted his arm so she could cuddle up next to him and then wrapped it around her. "Hello, love," Sirius grinned.

"Hello," she smiled back. Nodding toward the stairs, she asked, "So how is he?"

Sirius frowned, "Better."

"But still… not good," James added.

Gillette nodded. "It takes time. I remember when my granddad died. My mum cried for weeks, but slowly she returned to the way she was. But, you know, to this day she has moments where she just… drifts off, remembering her Da. And we were all expecting him to go. It wasn't sudden… Does anyone know why his parents were killed, yet?"

"No," James shook his head.

"Did you know them?" Gillette asked.

"No. Not really," James said again.

"We really only saw them at the train station… Oh, and that one time we visited him at his house," Sirius added.

After a minute of silence, James stood up and tapped Peter on the knee. "Come on. Let's go to bed." Peter got up to follow James.

Sirius called out, sounding offended, "James… Are you cheating on me?"

"I don't think it counts as cheating if you know about it," James quipped back.

Sirius laughed and then shuddered dramatically. Speaking to Gillette, he said, "That just conjures up nasty images."

Gillette leaned over and kissed him. "Better?" she asked.

Grinning, Sirius answered, "Much."

They sat for another minute - Sirius slouched on the sofa so that his head could comfortably rest on the back, and his arm was still around Gillette. Gillette's back was leaning against Sirius' side, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Did you get in trouble?" Gillette asked out of the blue.

Sirius raised his head off the couch, "For what?... Oh." He laughed. "Nah… well, a little, but it wasn't bad."

"Does she always just bark at you and expect you to obey?"

"When she's speaking to me, yeah." Sirius had rested his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. "How was your summer?" He wasn't really in the mood to dwell on his family.

"It was great! We went to the coast for a couple of weeks. I spent a week with Lily. I kind of feel bad for her sister, though."

"Why's that?" Sirius asked, not really caring, but liking the sound of Gillette's voice.

"Her parents think Lily is the greatest thing, very special – gifted, they called her. Petunia's just… their other daughter. But Lily and Petunia get along pretty well, so that helps. And she's seventeen this year, so I think she's going to get her own place." Sirius was frowning when Gillette glanced up at his face. "What is it?"

"Hmm? Oh. Nothing. What's your family like?"

Gillette was quiet for a while. Sirius turned his head in her direction and opened his eyes. He couldn't see her face, just the back of her head. "Gillette?"

"It's good. They're good, mostly. I live with my mum and step-dad – well, this year's step-dad. I've had three. And I have a half-brother and a couple of step-brothers. My dad's remarried, too. You could say I have a large family."

"I'm finding family isn't necessarily the people you share your name with," Sirius said softly.

"This is true," Gillette responded.

"So how's… Troy?" Sirius asked, closing his eyes again.

"Troy? Oh," Gillette laughed. "He was nice. We only went out that one time. Went on a couple dates this summer, but… meh. I'm too young to get into anything."

Sirius smiled. "Me too."

They chatted back and forth a bit longer before Sirius fell asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, Gillette settled in and fell asleep as well. The next morning, Rodney, the seventh-year prefect, nudged the two of them awake. "Hey guys. Um… this isn't really… You need to head to your dorms."

Gillette got up sleepily and, rubbing her eyes, headed upstairs. Sirius got up and stretched. "Sorry man," he said to Rodney. "I just fell asleep."

"No worries. Just, try to fall asleep in your own bed, okay?"

"Mmm," Sirius nodded and headed upstairs. He was awake by the time he got to the top of the stairs. He decided to take a shower before waking everyone.

By the time he was out of the shower, Remus was up. They grunted in greeting as they passed each other heading to and from the bathroom.

Sirius finished getting ready then graciously, in other words, very loudly and with much jumping on beds, woke up James, Peter, and Addison. When Remus stepped into the room, he saw the door of the dorm slam shut and an assortment of books collide with the back of it.

"Well, I see the alarm still works," Remus snarked. He received a death-glare from James, who was heading into the bathroom.

The guys all headed to the Great Hall together and then Addison split off from them and sat with his friends. McGonagall came around with their schedules just as the owls arrived.

Remus received a note from Aden that simply said, "Meet me tonight at 7 in the Entrance Hall." Remus looked over to where Aden usually sat. She was watching him. When their eyes met, he nodded, agreeing to meet, then he looked away and finished his breakfast.

At 6:55 that evening, Remus and Aden were standing face-to-face, neither sure what to do or where to begin.

Taking her hand, Remus said, "Shall we walk?" Aden nodded, so they headed outside with no destination in mind.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Aden asked.

Remus smiled sadly. Aden's straightforwardness was one of the things he really liked about her. They came to a standstill and faced each other. Taking her other hand in his as well, he sighed, "I can't… do this right now."

Aden nodded, "You didn't answer the question."

"All right. Um… Because I didn't want to have this talk."

"You don't want to break up with me?"

Remus was caught off guard by the question. "I… No. I mean, I really like you, but…"

"But, 'you can't do this right now,'" she quoted. Remus nodded. "Why? What are we doing that you can't do?"

Remus cocked his head to the side, thinking about the question. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"The way your parents were?" Aden asked gently. Remus nodded again. "Why would you think I would be?"

Remus turned away from her and stared off into the forbidden forest. "I just think you will be."

"Are you protecting me or you?"

Remus glanced back at her briefly, "Both, I guess."

"Well… I didn't ask to be protected. And… I'm… slightly offended that you would think so little of me as to assume I'm going to hurt you." Aden said gently, but angrily.

Remus turned quickly to face Aden again, his eyes wide, "No, I didn't…"

"You must." She cut him off, her frustration growing. "You admitted you're trying to protect both of us, so you must think I'm going to hurt you in some way."

Remus' head dropped. "You don't know everything about me."

"No. I don't. You won't let me!" Aden sighed, calming down some. "I don't expect to know everything about you right away. No one does when they start dating. It's part of the fun – getting to know the other person."

Remus shook his head. "No, no. You… It's not that simple."

"No. It seldom is." Aden stepped forward and put her hands on either side of Remus' face, holding his head so he was looking at her. "I don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. I don't know if we're 'meant-to-be' or not. But I know that I will do everything I can to keep from hurting you. And I believe that you would never intentionally hurt me. It's worth the risk, to me. Is it worth it to you?"

Part of Remus was screaming at him to walk away; it was the only way to keep Aden safe – from himself and others who might come after him. Part of him wanted to take the chance.

Tears started down Aden's face and she pulled her hands away from him. He had been silent for too long, and she figured that since the answer wasn't yes, it must be no.

As she started to turn away, Remus reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. Then he slid them down her arms until he was holding her hands. Like the night at the end of last term when he agreed to date her, he leaned in and touched his forehead to hers. "Yes," he whispered. "Yes, it's worth it." He drew her into a hug and they stood there a few minutes, drawing comfort from each other. Then they broke apart and headed back to the castle, hand-in-hand.

- - - - -

A/N - Glad ya'll found me. :) Thanks again for the many awesome reviews. Thank you, also, to those who've added me to their alerts/favorites lists. That's awesome! Thanks also to my faithful support - Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love you.

Nonair - Sorry I didn't respond to your last review. I... got confused (see me blush) when posting the new story. Sorry about that. Regarding the previous chapter - Thank you. I'm glad you can see the boys growing up and changing. I am thrilled that I was able to get that across. Also, glad you like what Gillette did - and Sirius' reaction. Thank you.

As for this last chapter - glad you found me. :) Also glad you like the boys maturing and that it's realistic and keeping in character. As usual, thanks for letting me know I'm staying on track. Consistency in the characters is important to me, so thank you. It does seem that neither Remus nor Sirius get much of a break in life. Pretty sad when you stop and think about it. Thanks again for reviewing. :D


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer - Usual. I'm just having fun.

Chapter 48

When Remus entered the common room a short while later, Peter and James were building a house of cards with an Exploding Snap deck and Sirius had his Cheshire grin in place as, with his eyes, he followed Remus until he sat down.

"So," James started casually. "How did it go?"

"Fine," Remus said, just as casually.

When he didn't comment any further, Peter huffed, "Are you still together or what?"

"Yes," Remus answered simply.

"That girl has the patience of a saint," James said, shaking his head. Remus just smiled.

"But," Sirius began, still grinning, "what we really want to know is: were there lips involved? Snogging? Are we going to have to set a curfew?"

"Curfew? Look who's talking Mr. I-never-came-to-bed-last-night."

Sirius waved his hand dismissively. "I fell asleep. It's something in the food. You didn't answer the question."

Remus stood up and returned Sirius' grin. "No. I didn't." And he turned and headed for the dorm.

The three remaining Marauders looked at each other, then took off after Remus, leaving the house of cards for some unsuspecting passerby. They stormed into the dormitory.

"So what happened?" Sirius insisted.

"It's none of your business." Remus was smirking. The next thing he knew, Sirius dove for him. The flying tackle landed them on Remus' bed and, once Sirius had Remus pinned, he started punching him in the arm.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow. All right! All right!" Remus laughed. Sirius relented and got up off Remus and the bed. "Really, nothing happened. We talked. We're still together. I walked her back to her common room. We said goodnight and… there was a small kiss goodnight."

"What do you mean by 'small'?" Peter asked.

Remus was amused as he looked around. He felt like a teacher reading a story to little kids. Peter, Sirius, and James had all given him their rapt attention. "It was… small. Nothing big. Simple. Nice. And that's all the description you're going to get out of me," he said with finality.

Sirius sighed. "For all that effort, next time you better have something more to share."

"Even if I did – I wouldn't."

"Saint," Sirius shook his head in disgust, but his tone was jovial.

"Cretin," Remus answered back.

The next morning at breakfast, Aden came over and joined their table for a few minutes.

"Good morning," Remus smiled at her.

"Good morning," she smiled back.

"Aden!" Sirius greeted enthusiastically.

"Good morning, Sirius, James, Peter." They all grinned back at her, delighting in their friend's happiness.

"So," Sirius said, making conversation, "Ancient Runes today." Gillette walked passed and mussed his hair. "Hey!" he called after her. "The hair." She and Lily laughed and kept walking.

"Yup," Aden answered. "Did you get the essay done?"

"Of course. You think I'd spend the whole summer with Moony and not have my work done?" Sirius grinned at his friend.

"Riiight," Aden smirked. Turning to Remus, she said, "I was wondering if you'd like to meet at the Library tonight. After supper?"

"Yeah. I'd love to," Remus smiled.

"Good. See you later, then." Aden walked back to her table.

"Please tell me you're going to take her on a real date sometime," James joked with his friend.

"Yeah. 'Cause the library. Wow. Good times," Sirius snarked, causing Peter to snort.

"Very funny. And just where do you suppose we go?"

"Hmm…" James ran his hand through his hair as he thought. Then he and Sirius exchanged mischievous looks. "We'll think of something."

"Yes, that's what I'm afraid of." Remus shook his head, but he appreciated his friends' intentions.

Fourth-year Gryffindors had Defense Against the Dark Arts that morning. The Marauders wondered if this year's professor would be anything like Odium. The door to the classroom was locked when they arrived and their classmates looked around expectantly.

A young witch, in her early twenties, walked briskly up to the group. "Attention class. My name is Professor Ogden – and no, I and not related to the Ogden of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey; so don't ask. Follow me, please."

The class followed, wondering what was going on. Professor Ogden led the students to an unusually long, narrow classroom. Once everyone was inside, she conjured the roll-call scroll and made sure everyone was in attendance, then vanished it again.

"Right. Now, I'm sure you're all aware that life outside these walls is getting increasingly dangerous. I am going to do my best to prepare you for what's coming." Glances were cast between students. Her comment raised questions about what was going on, not the least of which being the indication that the civil unrest was ongoing and not isolated as many hoped. "As such, I have been given permission to reform the Dueling Club." A cheer went up among the students. Ogden waited until the cheers had died down. "I mention this in class because, if you attend the Dueling Club meetings and can prove an aptitude with the things you have learned by the end of the school year, I will grant extra credit for your final grade." Another round of excited comments rippled through the students. "We're going to start today with a simple blocking spell. I'm sure many of you know this already, as it's fairly basic, but sometimes it's the simplest things that determine whether you live or die. Line up!"

The class got into a single-file line. Initially, she stood so that the line spread to her left and right and she could see all of the students. Then she demonstrated the proper way to perform the blocking spell and had the students practice. She then walked to the end of the line and faced the students so they were waiting to take turns in front of her. She cast a fairly harmless tickling spell so as not to hurt anyone, but it caused enough of a reaction that the student knew he or she had not properly blocked.

Those who achieved the block on the first try were separated from those who didn't. The first group was re-tested to make sure they had a grasp on the spell, then she allowed those students to help the others practice and learn proper casting.

Toward the end of class, James raised his hand. "Professor?"

"Yes Mr. Potter?"

"What about non-verbal and wand-less spells? I mean, it's one thing to be able to see and hear a spell coming, but how do you block a spell you can't see or hear?"

Professor Ogden smiled. "Very good point, Mr. Potter. Five points to Gryffindor. We will get to that later this year..." James started to protest the lack of an answer, but she held up her hand. "However, briefly… Non-verbal spells still use a wand. You can therefore follow the wand movements. As for wand-less spells – I'm afraid that is a matter of experience. Fortunately, there are very few wizards and witches who can consistently cast wand-less spells – especially in succession. Wand-less spells take a great deal of concentration and energy. It is very unlikely that you would have to defend yourself against those."

"Do you know any?" Sirius jumped in.

Professor Ogden studied her student for a moment before answering, "It's not a question of knowing any; it's a question of being able to perform them. Class dismissed. Oh, the next class will be held in the usual classroom. Please meet there. Thank you."

As the group of students walked down the corridor, Sirius said, "I like her."

"You would," Lily retorted.

"Have trouble getting out of bed this morning, Evans?" Sirius responded. Lily rolled her eyes. "No, what I meant was, she seems to know what she's doing."

"And she's very hands on," James added. "I think we could learn a lot from her."

"She's rather attractive, too." Peter threw out the comment, causing the guys to chuckle, and Lily and Patty to shake their heads in disgust.

Professor Ogden set up her class so that each Tuesday she had a lecture and each Thursday she had a practical lesson. Sometimes the two were related, other times they weren't. One week, she brought in an Auror to discuss safety with the students. Another time, she had a Ministry official come in to discuss the Unforgivable Curses. She would, on occasion, bring in _Daily Prophet_ clippings and discuss incidents of attack. What happened? What, if anything, could the victim have done differently? As unanimous as the dislike for Odium had been the previous year, the same was true for how much students enjoyed Ogden's classes.

The Dueling Club started the first week of October. This meant that James had Quidditch practice twice a week, the Dueling Club one night a week, and the gatherings with the Marauders to continue working through the animagi process. Friday nights were no longer being used to explore the castle. Not only was there little left to map, but this was Remus' dedicated night to give Aden his full attention. And then, of course, there were detentions. All of this left James struggling to find time to do his classwork.

Remus was trying very hard to balance time with Aden and time with the Marauders. The guys seemed to understand that he wanted to spend time with Aden, but also with them, and they refused to plan anything during times he was not available.

The first Hogsmeade weekend was posted for the first Saturday in October.

"Evans…" James called.

"No," Lily answered without thinking, then, "Potter! I have a boyfriend. Stop asking me."

Unperturbed – much – James smiled while Sirius and Peter shook their heads. "So… Are you and Gillette going?" he asked Sirius, who was examining a section of the Marauders' Map.

"Nope. She's going with… Wilkes."

"The Ravenclaw prefect?" Remus asked.

"Yup."

Peter looked at Sirius incredulously.

Feeling Peter stare at him, Sirius looked up. "What?"

Shaking his head, Peter said, "I just don't get you two."

Sirius chuckled and returned his attention to the map. "I'm thinking of asking Jazelle, though." Jazelle was one of the few other students who had spent the summer at Hogwarts, so the guys had gotten to know her a little.

"Jazelle?" James asked in surprise. "I thought she was dating someone on the Quidditch team."

"No. You know, we should put a spell on this so only we can see it."

"You do know that you're the one looking at it in the middle of the common room," Remus pointed out.

"I like that," James said. "We could have a code phrase to make it appear and then another one to make it disappear."

"We still have to work on how to get the map to change with the castle," Peter reminded them.

"Wonder if a binding spell would work," Remus suggested.

"Jazelle has a friend that would love to go out with you, James," Sirius changed the subject again.

"Mm. I don't know," James said, glancing at Lily.

"It's one date, and then, with the two of us going, we're pretty much guaranteed to have a good time."

"I'll think about it."

Peter shifted uncomfortably. Remus was going to go with Aden. That was a given. If James and Sirius went on dates, that would leave him alone. He might as well not go to Hogsmeade at all then. On the other hand, he knew the guys would meet up for lunch and he wanted to be there for that, at least. He sighed, not sure what to do.

"Peter," Sirius said, still not looking up from the map. "When are you going to ask Gwen to go out?"

"What?!" Peter blushed furiously.

"Oh yeah," James smiled. "That cute little Hufflepuff that checks you out each Herbology class. You should ask her."

Peter had, in fact, noticed Gwen. When you don't get checked out by every girl in the castle, you tend to notice when one does look your way. He hadn't known what the others thought of her, so he had kept it quiet. But James had called her cute and they obviously noticed she was friendly toward him. He might have to consider asking her out. Peter smiled shyly, "Maybe I will."

"Good for you…" Sirius voice trailed off. "Where does this corridor go?"

Peter took a quick glance at the section of map at which Sirius was pointing. He grabbed a different piece of parchment. "Here."

"Genius," James said, and it was unclear if he was referring to Peter for knowing the map that well, or Sirius for not being able to figure it out. "We really need to get this better organized." James shuffled through a couple of other pieces of parchment.

"We could do a series of folds and cuts," Remus suggested. The others looked at him, confused. "Uh… Like this." He took a sheet of paper and meticulously folded the parchment in on itself several times, cutting it here and there. With each fold he drew a simple shape so the levels could be seen. Once it was folded, he showed them how each time they unfolded a portion of the parchment, it led to another level and would be useful to show the seven main floors of the school and how passages led to different areas.

"That's perfect!" Peter exclaimed. He could already picture how to draw out the floors and was starting to imagine where some of the more unusual folds and cuts needed to go.

James chuckled. "I'm glad you got that. Maybe you and Remus could work on that part of it. Remus, did you have a specific binding spell in mind?"

"No, but that book Sirius bought had a couple in it that we might be able to use - with a little modification."

"All right," Sirius began, "So, tomorrow night, we practice spells, look up the binding spells, and Peter will have asked out Gwen by then. Am I missing anything?" Everyone nodded agreement, except Peter who blushed and suddenly felt queasy.

- - - - -

A/N – I realized that I've made my map resemble the one in the movies rather than the one in the book, which appeared to be a single piece of parchment, but I have a hard time visualizing that, so I went with the movie version - unless it works like one of those really cool computer screens that allow you to drag the edge of a picture and zoom in to the next level... hmm...

Thanks again to all of you who took the time to review and to those of you who added me to your alerts and/or favorites list. See me blush. Welcome to the new reviewers, even if you've been around a while. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thanks also to my beloved editors and beta - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love ya.

Nonair - Thank you for another lovely review. And I'm glad you like that they're social. I figure, if they're really as popular as is indicated, they'd probably get along with a lot of people even if they saved their closest interactions for each other. I also think that their sphere of influence would expand as they get older and become less self-involved (despite their egos :) ).

A lot of years pass between Remus of the books and the Remus from school. I'm glad you think he's realistic though, growing out of his insecurities - at least somewhat, by the time Harry meets him.

And thanks for liking Sirius and Gillette. :) Hee. That makes me smile.

Emy - Welcome, welcome. I wasn't sure if I could e-mail you at the address on the review (may I?), so I'm responding here. Thanks for taking the time to review. And I'm thrilled to hear you're enjoying the story. And thank you for thinking it's realistic, despite all the fantastic. I appreciate it. It's good to know it's believable. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer - Usual

Chapter 49

The next day, the guys had Herbology and the class could not have been more perfectly set up for Peter to ask Gwen out. Professor Sprout asked everyone to pair up for the re-potting of bubotubers. They were given the usual warning about not squeezing the tubers as the bubotuber pus was highly toxic. They would be collecting the pus in the next class.

Peter paired up with Gwen, Remus with Patty, Sirius with Gillette, and James with Lily, who looked highly affronted that Gillette had gone along with the guys' scheme to pair her up with James. Gillette and Patty giggled and failed to point out she could have easily paired up with someone else; it was Lily who agreed to pair up with James.

Patty was the quiet one of the Gryffindor fourth-year girls. She and Remus got along rather well, both content to work and not chat.

Peter invited Gwen to work with him and, to his surprise, she had agreed. Her friend kept casting curious glances in their direction, to see if Peter would ask her out.

They chatted idly, and somewhat awkwardly, for a while, then became quiet as the work became more difficult. Gwen was easy to work with, gently making suggestions, and very willing to have Peter take the lead in what they were doing. This made him feel good and less insecure. Finally, toward the end of class he said, "Gwen, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday?"

Gwen smiled and nodded. "Yes. That would be nice."

Peter was ecstatic. Had anyone told him he would get a date, in fourth year no less, he wouldn't have believed it. Even better, James still hadn't been on a date yet, though, admittedly that's because James was stuck on a girl that didn't want to date him. But Peter felt a sort of pride in that accomplishment. His reverie was broken by a splat sound nearby and he looked wide-eyed at Sirius.

Sirius and Gillette had over-watered their plant, causing the soil to become thick and muddy. As Professor Sprout had walked by, she commented, "You'll have to remove some of that mud. Then add more soil." Sirius scooped some of the mud out of the pot and a little bit of it fell with a squelch on his shoe. Looking down, an evil grin spread across his face. With a flick of his wrist and a wet thud, James had a trowel-full of mud stuck to his shoulder and chest.

"What the…?" James looked around and saw Sirius was concentrating intently on his plant, while also trying very hard not to laugh. "Uh-huh," James said to himself. He scraped the mud off his cloak and loaded it onto his own trowel. With a flick of his own, and a smack, James hit Sirius square in the face with the mud.

Sirius grunted when he was hit. Then he loaded up the trowel again and flung it. Only this time, his aim was not so careful and the mud spread out in an arc, hitting both James and Lily.

Lily gasped at the assault. Her eyes flashed, causing the green in them to sparkle like emeralds.

Sirius ducked his head, waiting for the yelling, and then next thing he knew, he was hit with mud from both James and Lily. James' mud hit him in the head and dripped coldly down into his ear and under his collar. Lily had somehow managed a rather significant amount of mud, which Sirius suspected was due to a bit of magic, and his whole front was covered in mud. Some of the mud had gotten beneath his robes and was slowly snaking its way down his body, sending shivers through him. Sirius looked up in surprise at Lily, who was working on their plant and doing a much better job of looking innocent than he had earlier. James, on the other hand, kept snorting, not able to keep in his laughter.

"Mr. Black. What on earth happened?" Professor Sprout asked, causing everyone in the vicinity to stop what they were doing and look at Sirius.

"I think it got angry," Sirius said as sincerely as possible while Gillette tried not to giggle.

"Indeed!" Professor Sprout appeared torn between being angry that he wasn't taking the lesson… well… seriously, and finding the sight of him covered in mud rather amusing. "Do try not to anger your plant in the future, Mr. Black. You wouldn't want your partner covered in mud… Or something more dangerous."

"No ma'am."

The mud slinging stopped, but after class Sirius went up to James and give him a big hug, making sure to squeeze him so some of the mud transferred from Sirius' robes to James'. He next opened his arms and came at Remus, who ran – which was a mistake. Sirius was like a dog – throw a squeaky toy and he was bound to chase it down. So he took off at top speed and, being taller than Remus, was easily able to catch him, tackling him and sending the two sprawling to the ground. Now they were covered not only in mud, but also grass stains.

Getting up, Sirius then turned to Peter. "Peter," he said with a big grin and his arms wide open. Peter squeaked and half hid behind James. He didn't want to run for fear of being chased down, but if he stayed where he was, Sirius was sure to get him there as well.

Lily stepped forward with a sigh. "_Scourgify_." With a quick wave of her wand, Sirius' robes were clean. She repeated the spell for Remus, James and herself.

"Thanks mum," Sirius said sarcastically. He still had mud dripping off his hair and down the inside of his robes. "You mind getting the rest of me?"

Lily nodded and raised her wand, but she paused when Sirius grinned again and started to strip down, "What are you doing?"

"It got under my robes," he said innocently.

Lily groaned. "Honestly." And she walked away.

"Come on, big guy, let's get you cleaned up." Gillette patted Sirius on the back.

"Oo, you going to help?" he asked playfully.

Gillette just shook her head and pushed him ahead of her.

That night, the Marauders went to an abandoned classroom to practice spells. Remus was sitting in the doorway, looking through Sirius' book of spells for a good binding spell. Sirius was doing classwork, while James tried to coach Peter through a few non-verbal spells.

"You're getting it. Honest," James encouraged.

"Yeah, but still not as good as you," Peter said in a melancholy voice.

"That's why we're practicing. Okay Sirius, you're up."

Sirius got up and sat down on the pillow they had brought. He crossed his legs and stared at the feather in front of him.

"Okay, the book said that you start by imagining drawing energy into yourself, then expel it by willing it to perform the task you want it to perform."

"I know, James, now shut up."

"Sorry." James sat down with a huff on another pillow next to Sirius. It was true, they had reread and rehearsed that section countless times since Sirius had bought the book, and so far with no result. He concentrated on his own feather.

James had tried to imagine drawing energy into himself, but nothing seemed to work. For months they had tried with no results. Tonight, he decided to try something new. He loved Quidditch, so he imagined a quaffle that was being passed around by an opposing team. This quaffle was his magic. He had to focus on getting it from the other team. Scoring the goal would be getting the magic to focus and do what he wanted it to. He focused in on the quaffle until it was all he could see and, finally, it was in his hands. As soon as he had the quaffle, he felt energy course from the quaffle into his fingertips and through the rest of his body. He concentrated harder, making sure that the energy didn't dispel, but stayed locked in his body and in the ball. Then he headed for the goal. All the while that he was visualizing this imaginary game, he simultaneously kept the sight of the feather in front of him. In his mind, he chucked the quaffle at the goal, which translated as the feather. As the quaffle headed toward the goal, he repeated in his head, "_Wingardium Leviosa_." He guided the energy of the quaffle to the feather and then, instead of dropping, as a quaffle would do in real life, it rose higher into the air, and with it, the feather rose.

James startled when he heard Sirius let out a cheer. Peter was sitting next to James, his classwork on his lap, but his eyes were focused on the feather and his mouth was hanging open. Remus had moved from his station at the door and was laughing and clapping. As soon as James' concentration was broken, the feather fell gently to the floor.

"Excellent!" Sirius exclaimed. "How did you do it?"

"Don't laugh," James blushed slightly, "but I imagined a Quidditch game."

Sirius stared in disbelief for a minute before bursting out laughing. "Only you could use Quidditch to help you do magic."

"I think you're on to something there, though," Remus said thoughtfully. "Well, let's head back and you can explain what you did on the way."

The guys made it to the Entrance Hall, but stopped there. There was a rather large crowd gathered in the hall, with a lot of students whispering in groups. The Marauders received a couple of cheers as they drew nearer the crowd and, while they smiled and waved back, they had no idea what was going on.

Aden walked up to Remus, looking very serious. "You guys are in so much trouble."

"What? Why?" Remus asked.

"For the prank on the Slytherins," she answered.

A look of confusion passed between the four.

"Someone played a prank on the Slytherins?" Sirius asked. When Aden nodded, he said, "Excellent."

"You mean you had nothing to do with this?" she asked.

"No, nothing," Remus stated.

"This is bad. Apparently there's some kind of… puddle… in front of the Slytherin common room entrance. Whoever steps in the puddle disappears. Well, it turns out that a group of Slytherins just ran in from the Forbidden Forest. They claimed they were entering their common room and suddenly found themselves in a clearing in the forest."

"Nice," Sirius chuckled.

"No! Not nice. Some of the students are still in the forest. And the ones that returned said something chased them out." Aden finished the account of what happened.

"Black! Potter! Lupin! Pettigrew! Follow me." Professor McGonagall looked furious. The guys followed her to a side room. "What is the meaning of this?"

"We don't know, professor," James said. "Honestly, we had nothing to do with this."

"You don't really expect me to believe that, do you? You've pulled more pranks, some of them dangerous I might add, than any other students I've ever taught. And this was a direct attack on Slytherins. Who else do you suppose could have done this?"

"More pranks?" Sirius asked absently, which earned him an elbow in the side. "Really Professor, we didn't have anything to do with this one. Brilliant as it was."

"Sirius!" James hissed. "You're not helping."

"Excuse me, professor," a voice from the hall interrupted the private conversation. Each of the Marauders cringed as they recognized the voice as belonging to Snivellus.

"Yes Mr. Snape?"

"We found this in one of the rooms near our common room."

Professor McGonagall took the item. It was a glove, clearly Gryffindor colors. McGonagall searched the inside for a name. On the tag inside was written "Potter." Turning back to the boys in front of her, she held up the glove and said, "And this? I believe this belongs to you, Mr. Potter."

James took the glove and saw it was, indeed, his. He glanced at the others. "I… I don't know why it was wherever Sniv… I mean Snape, said he found it. But I didn't put it there. I swear."

"Professor," another voice interrupted the session. "They've located the others."

Professor McGonagall walked out of the room, through the entrance, and out onto the grounds. Several other professors and Hagrid were escorting a group of about five Slytherins back to the castle. They all appeared to be first years and Remus was struck with how small they looked.

Hagrid was also carrying a student. When Professor McGonagall saw him, she ordered, "Hospital wing, right away, Hagrid."

The Marauders watched the procession as it came into the Entrance Hall. As soon as light fell on the group, Sirius recognized the boy in Hagrid's arms.

"Regulus?" Sirius rushed from the room out into the hall.

"Mr. Black! Back in the room. Now!" Professor McGonagall turned on him and pointed to the room.

"But…"

"Now!"

Professor Dumbledore had come to investigate, along with Professor Slughorn. When he saw Regulus being carried by Hagrid, he gave a nod for Hagrid to continue. Then he dispersed the crowd and headed to the side room where the Marauders were being detained.

"What has happened?" He asked, scanning each of the boys carefully as if trying to read their thoughts.

"A 'prank' has been played on the Slytherins, leaving several students abandoned in the Forbidden Forest. And this," Professor McGonagall took back the glove James was holding and handed it to Dumbledore, "was found not far from the scene."

"I see." Professor Dumbledore pondered the situation.

"Professor, if I may. Several Slytherins saw Gryffindors in the dungeons not long before the students started to disappear."

"Hmm. And what do you four have to say for yourselves?" Dumbledore asked, his gaze still firmly fixing them in turn.

"It wasn't us!" James said emphatically.

"I wouldn't do that to my own brother," Sirius added.

"Oh no? Your prank last year might speak against you on that, Mr. Black," Dumbledore reminded him.

Obviously, even though they had not been punished, all of the teachers knew they had pulled the prank last year. And now, it appeared they were being framed.

"It wasn't us, sir," Remus joined in.

"And someone will confirm that you were in your common room where you belonged?" he asked.

The guys exchanged looks again. "N-no sir. We weren't in our common room. We were in an abandoned classroom," James answered.

"Doing what?"

"Practicing magic," Sirius confessed. "The classroom is near the dungeons. That's probably why Slytherins say they saw us. But we didn't do anything."

"And were there any other witnesses to your whereabouts?"

"No sir," Remus whispered, hanging his head.

"The evidence is stacked against you. You do realize you should all be expelled." James and Sirius' heads snapped up to look at Dumbledore with wide, scared eyes. Peter started whimpering, while Remus kept his head down. "That stunt was very dangerous and resulted in at least one student getting seriously injured." Dumbledore looked at Sirius when he made this statement.

"How badly injured?" Sirius asked

"I don't know yet. I will be visiting the hospital wing when we're done here. But there is a reason the forest is off limits. I'm afraid that unless someone steps forward, due to your past history and the evidence, albeit circumstantial, you will each very possibly be expelled. This is a matter to be taken before the governors."

"E-excuse me, Professor." Of all the people the guys expected to see, the one that stood before them was the last one.

"Yes, Miss Evans?" Dumbledore addressed her.

"They're telling the truth. They were in that classroom all evening."

Professor Dumbledore gave her the same penetrating stare he had used on the boys. "And how do you know that, Miss Evans?"

"Be-because I was in the room, too. My…" Lily flushed crimson before continuing. "Hayden Walker and I were walking through the corridor near the dungeons when we heard voices approaching. We ducked inside a classroom to avoid them. Unfortunately, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter headed to the same classroom. So we… we hid… inside a cabinet."

Dumbledore's mouth twitched at this news, and some of the hardness he had worn earlier melted away. "And you were there for how long?"

Lily cleared her throat. Looking down, she answered, "Three hours sir." She glanced at the Marauders who were all staring at her in disbelief. Had the circumstances not been so severe, they would have been laughing hysterically. As it was, they were too grateful for their dumb luck to laugh.

"And I assume Mr. Walker will corroborate your story?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well. Then it appears… You are free to go," Professor Dumbledore dismissed the boys. "Ah… but first… I believe that the six of you, that would be Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Pettigrew, Miss Evans and Mr. Walker, will all receive detention for being out of bounds."

"Yes sir," they responded, practically in unison.

Sirius noted that Snivellus had gone from looking very pleased with himself to very angry in a matter of seconds. He made a mental note to have a chat with the slimy git, but first he wanted to see his brother.

- - - - -

A/N Well, not the longest of chapters, but hopefully enjoyable anyway. Thanks again for the lovely and honest reviews. I appreciate them all. Thank you. And of course, thank you to Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love ya.

Nonair - I'm glad the boys seem very realistic - very teenage like. I'm glad you like Peter, too, as I sometimes find him difficult to write... and yet scarily easy at times. I'm glad he's at least somewhat relatable. Mmm. I'm glad you caught, too, how Sirius would despise being cooped up in that house that holds too few good memories for him. I tend to leave certain things in the background because I assume people know that they go on - one being the ongoing animagus project, the other the map, and the third the amount of detentions they get. Lol. That doesn't come up often either. And, of course, I'm glad you like Ogden. She kind of reminds me of Remus - like his inspiration for how learned to teach effectively. Thanks again for the wonderful review.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 50

"Thank you," James tentatively tried to talk to the very angry-looking Lily.

"Ha! Now I have to explain to Hayden why he has detention. All thanks to you!"

"Well," Remus jumped in, "we all really do appreciate it. Thanks."

"Yeah. Thank you," Peter concurred.

After a moment's silence, James elbowed Sirius. "Huh? Oh yeah. Thanks."

Lily glanced around and saw the genuineness on their faces and her expression softened. "You're welcome."

The rest of the trip to the common room was in silence. When they arrived, they took up their usual seats. Gillette met Lily as she walked across the room and they started whispering quietly. Gillette covered her hand with her mouth. To someone who didn't know her, she looked like she was being very sympathetic, but she was in fact trying hard not to laugh at the idea of Lily crammed in a cupboard with Hayden for three hours – to avoid James, of all people. The girls headed up to their dorm room shortly after the chat started.

Sirius sat staring at the fire for a while before standing abruptly. "James, can I borrow your cloak?"

"Sure." As Sirius started to walk away, James called, "Do you want company?"

Sirius thought about it, then answered, "No."

He made his way quickly and quietly to the hospital wing, and waited until the hustle and bustle died down and Madam Pomfrey had dimmed the candles before entering. He crept to his brother's bed and watched him sleep. He couldn't remember his brother looking so frail before. He was pale and had bandages on his arms, and that was what Sirius could see.

"What happened, little brother?" Sirius whispered. He knew it was stupid, but part of him still saw Regulus as the nine-year-old that used to idolize him.

At around midnight, Regulus had a nightmare. Sirius reached out and gently prodded his shoulder. "Wake up. You're all right. You're safe."

Regulus groaned and woke up. His head lolled to the side and his eyes widened when he saw Sirius sitting next to him.

"Hey, Little Leo," Sirius smiled slightly. He really didn't know how Regulus would react to his being there.

"What are you doing here?" Regulus asked and, for as tired as he was, Sirius was still able to easily hear the anger in his voice.

Sirius sighed and looked down at his hands. "I wanted to make sure you were all right."

"Yeah right! It's your fault I was out there."

His eyes snapped back up to his brother. "Regulus… It wasn't us. We had nothing to do with that stunt."

"Whatever," Regulus' voice was full of incredulity. After a moment, he asked, "Who do you think did it?"

"I don't know. I think Snivellus was involved though."

"And why would you think that? He's not exactly known for pranks, let alone for attacking his fellow housemates."

Sirius sighed again. Not wanting to argue, he changed the subject. "What happened out there?"

Regulus looked away. "I tried to warn them, Sirius. A group of first years. I told them not to step in the puddle, but they did it anyway. So I followed. We were all heading out of the forest together when something attacked us."

"What?"

"I don't know. I couldn't really see it. It had fangs and claws, though. Could have been a… a bugbear for all I know. But… some of the older kids just took off, leaving the first years behind…"

"You stuck around… to help the first-years?" It was more of a statement than a question. Regulus nodded. Sirius smiled. "Look at you – big damn hero." He reached out to pat his brother's arm, but Regulus moved so Sirius couldn't touch him and he felt a stab of pain at his brother's withdrawal. "I'm sorry you got hurt. I really am. But you've got to believe me – it wasn't us."

"Why do you even care? I thought you hated me."

Sirius' throat constricted on him and he had trouble speaking. "I never hated you."

"I don't believe you," he said stubbornly.

"Would I be here now if I did?"

"What about last year?"

Sirius breathed heavily and hung his head. "Last year was an accident."

"You told mum and dad you hate me."

Sirius was getting frustrated now. "I did what was necessary so they wouldn't hurt you any more! You are such an idiot sometimes."

"Go away," Regulus said, as tears started coming out his eyes.

"You believe me, right? I wouldn't hurt you. It wasn't us." Sirius desperately wanted Regulus to believe him.

"You don't get it! It's still your fault. If it weren't for you and your stupid prank war, Snape wouldn't have tried so hard to get you expelled. This is still your fault!"

Sirius felt guilt gnaw away at him, but it turned cold in a flash of realization and he stood up suddenly. "You knew! You knew what Snape was up to. That's how they got James' glove. You snagged it from the Quidditch changing room. And that's how you knew to warn the first years about the puddle. It wasn't bravery or some sense of honor that sent you after those kids. You felt guilty... And you didn't stop him!... We could have been expelled. Those kids could have been killed… And you're blaming me? And to think I felt sorry for you." Not waiting for a response, Sirius turned on his heel and headed out of the hospital wing. Once in the corridor, he put the cloak back on and headed quickly back to the common room, his anger building with each step.

He stopped before entering the common room to take off the cloak, then stormed in and headed for the stairs.

"Sirius! Sirius?" James called after him. "Whoa, wait up." James grabbed his arm to stop him from going upstairs. "What happened? How's Regulus?"

"He's fine!" Sirius snapped. "Stupid git."

James gently pushed Sirius over to the couch were Peter and Remus were still sitting. The common room was all but empty and only two other students were there, engrossed in their classwork and not paying any attention to the guys.

"So he's okay?" Remus asked.

"Yes." Sirius had not sat down, and now he started pacing. "He knew about it. The prank. He knew Snape set it up." It was a mark of how angry Sirius was that he used Snape's real name, but he also didn't tell them about the glove.

"Wait… Snape?" Peter asked. He was so used to lagging behind that it no longer bothered him to ask for clarification on certain things.

"Yeah," Remus joined in. "How do you know Snape was behind it?"

"Had to be," James reasoned. "We don't know too many other people who could pull off a prank like that. I'm surprised at his creativity, but I'm guessing the puddle was some sort of potion. And no one else would put so much effort into framing us and trying to get us expelled. But Regulus knew?"

Sirius had stopped pacing while James was explaining why he and Sirius assumed it was Snape. Starting to pace again, he nodded. "He knew the whole thing. Probably even knew the kids would be transported to the Forbidden Forest."

"So… how did he end up there, then?" Remus asked.

"Guilt... I don't know. But he knew the plan was to get us expelled. He knew the dangers of the forest and didn't do anything to stop it. He's such a coward."

"I don't know," Remus said tentatively. "He stepped in the potion, knowing where it would take him. Whether it was motivated by guilt or … whatever… He did what was right in the end."

"Yeah. Except he won't come forward and tell anyone Snape was behind it."

"But he knows what Snape did, and sometimes that's enough," Remus consoled.

"What does that mean?" James asked, smirking at Remus. Sirius stopped to listen.

"I'm just saying… You never know when that piece of knowledge is going to come in handy."

"Whatever," Sirius muttered. After a moment, he started pacing again, "And somehow… it's all my fault. He blames me. For him getting hurt, for last year, for not caring, for…" Sirius huffed and dropped his head. When he lifted it again, the anger was gone, and he was just tired - drained. "I'm going to bed."

The next morning there was a quiet intensity about Sirius that made the other Marauders uneasily cast furtive glances at him. Potions, which was one of the classes Gryffindor had with Slytherin, ended and all the students poured into the corridor. Sirius quickly passed through the small crowd of students and came up behind Snape. He grabbed one of Snape's arms, bent it behind his back and pushed him hard into a wall.

"Sirius!" James yelled and ran up to his friend to try to pull him off.

Sirius glanced at James, who found the look in his friend's eyes a little frightening. He backed off, but stayed close by. Sirius leaned in on Snape, putting pressure on his arm and shoulder, while pushing him painfully into the uneven stone wall. "Next time you want to pull a stunt like that... Make sure my brother's not involved," he said quietly but menacingly.

Part of Snape was scared. He couldn't get to his wand to defend himself. On the other hand, he really didn't think Sirius would do anything to him. Sirius was a Gryffindor, and they were stupidly noble. He also knew that Sirius would never use any spells or curses that would actually cause him lasting harm, at least he thought so. "Or else what? What are you going to do? Pull a prank on me?" he sneered. "That would be something new."

Leaning closer still, Sirius whispered so only Snape could hear him, "Or you'll find out how much I've actually learned from my family." Snape paled slightly at the threat. After another small shove, Sirius stepped back from Snape and released him.

Snape spun to face his attacker, who was leering back at him with a look that reminded him of Bellatrix. It sent a shiver through Snape as he realized that Sirius might not be as different from his family as everyone pretended.

James stepped between Sirius and Snape, placing a restraining hand on Sirius' chest and, with his other hand, he took hold of Sirius' arm and pushed him further away from Snape.

Sirius turned his icy-grey eyes to James. With a small frustrated push, he moved away from James and strode, fuming, out of the corridor.

Snape rubbed his wrist and rolled his shoulder. Feeling slightly more confident now that Sirius had walked away and he could get to his wand, he spoke to James, "You might want to get a stronger leash for your dog there, Potter. He seems to have forgotten his training." Snape thought himself very clever for his play on Sirius' name.

James turned slowly to face Snivellus. "You think you're smart, don't you, Snivellus? How long did it take you to brew that potion? Better yet… who came up with that little prank of yours? Because you certainly couldn't have thought of that on your own."

Snape looked incensed by the insult to his intelligence. "I'm warning you, Potter. He's not as safe as you think."

"Perhaps you should heed your own warning, Snivellus."

Professor Slughorn walked up to the small crowd of people. "Everything all right here?"

"Yes, sir," James said quickly. "We were just leaving."

The professor eyed James and Severus but, since he saw no wands and no indication of an actual fight, he nodded and waited for the crowd to disperse before returning to his office.

When the guys next saw Sirius, he was sitting in the common room doing classwork as if nothing happened.

"What was that all about?" James asked angrily.

"Nothing," Sirius answered shortly.

"You try to pick a fight and you say it was 'nothing'?"

"It was nothing. Let it go."

"'Let it go'?" James parroted.

Remus stepped forward. "James." When James looked at him, he shook his head, indicating James should drop the topic.

"Fine," James huffed.

The three guys sat down at the table with Sirius and worked on their assignments as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.

- - - - -

A/N Thank you to all of you who so faithfully take the time to review this story. I really appreciate it. So, I want to give a little shout-out to y'all (sorry if I miss anyone) – J.A. Carlton, SWAddict, Vikertee, cackles the witch, reeltreble1031, Nonair, Vaime, MilyMB, hydraspit, the youngest was the mostloved, SetTheTruthFree, Gemini Willow, Puffy Marshmallow, -Xany-Insany-Xenia-o-Awesome. I know there are a few others who have popped on from time to time. I thank you much for making writing and posting this story so much fun. Thanks for the tips. Thanks for the honesty. Thanks for sticking with this very long journey. Y'all rock! Thank you, too, to my beloved Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton who have all helped make this story so much better. Thank you.

Nonair - Thanks again for the review. You do pick up on details and, as a friend of mine once said, that makes putting them in very worthwhile. Thanks again for letting me know the story is both believable and consistent with what Rowlings has already established. Thank you.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer - You know, you'd think someone who wrote 51 chapters of a story would be able to come up with something original here, but... No. So, once again I say - Usual.

Chapter 51

The next morning's mail brought with it news that set the school buzzing with more rumors, stories, and theories.

Remus unfolded his copy of _The Daily Prophet_ and immediately went slack-jawed by the front page news. "Guys, take a look at this." The others joined him on his side of the table and read over his shoulder.

_Death Eaters out in force. _

_Leaves Ministry Confounded._

_Last night, large groups of wizards and witches who appear to be followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were out in force. These wizards, known as Death Eaters, had been seen prior to last night, but never in such numbers. It was originally thought that they were only a handful. However, last night's display leaves many wondering exactly how many there are. _

_Parades of these Death Eaters and their sympathizers made their way through the streets of London, terrorizing muggles who were unfortunate enough to be caught in their path. Many muggles had to be hospitalized and the Ministry of Magic had much to deal with in the way of mass memory modification charms. Fortunately, none died._

_The muggles were caught for sport and dangled like marionettes - men, women, and children alike. Some were put under the Imperious curse and forced to behave in a very undignified manner. _

_It seems whenever the Ministry closed in on a group of Death Eaters and their supporters, they would disapparate and reappear somewhere else. However, evidence indicates that this was not, in fact, the work of one group jumping from location to location, but rather many groups operating at the same time._

_Perhaps as disturbing as the number of Death Eaters and their supporters involved - some estimates being as high as 100 - is the organization of the group. As haphazard as the groups appeared to be, the Ministry was only capable of capturing five witches and wizards, and it is uncertain whether they were actually involved or just in the wrong place at the wrong time._

_When added to the increase in werewolf activity in and around London – this reporter is reminded of the attack and murder of the Lupin family over the summer months – and recent sightings of Giants, Dementors, and even Inferi, one must wonder what exactly the Ministry of Magic is doing to keep its citizens safe._

Another article on page one spoke of a meeting between the Minister of Magic and the Prime Minister of England, in which the two assured each other they would be working to keep panic at a minimum and sharing resources to keep threats under control. The Ministry of Magic announced that it would be releasing pamphlets on safety, and contact information for sightings of magical creatures as well as the reporting of suspicious behavior.

At supper, it was announced that special lines of communication were being set up so that students could contact their parents. This was mostly to reassure those from muggle families, but all students were welcome to use them. A good majority of the student population took advantage of the service offered, most knowing their families were safe, but wanting to hear words of comfort and reassurance.

A few days later, James whispered conspiratorially to his comrades, "I think we need to do something fun. Something to lighten the mood in the castle."

A week later, letters were sent to every student in the castle (surprisingly including the Slytherins) telling them that on Friday, November 24th, they were to arrive at supper prepared to party. The Marauders took the wizard radio they had nicced from Filch their first year, and put a spell on it to magically amplify the sound. Then they set it in the rafters of the enchanted ceiling. This was a tricky feat considering the ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky and it was hard to find the rafters. They moved the tables out of the way, but left them lined up in a row along the wall. Peter, who was on the best terms with the house elves in the kitchen, was sent down to them to put in an order for punch, appetizers, and finger food. They were hesitant at first, but Peter made a convincing case about how Professor Dumbledore, who usually handled change-of-menu requests was very busy with all of the recent developments.

Students and teachers alike looked around in confusion at the changes made to the Great Hall. The Marauders arrived just after the doors opened (they had to leave and get ready themselves), and they started the music. The amplified radio blared music that reverberated against the walls, making it very difficult to hear. But as more and more people showed up, the sound deadened some, and became more tolerable.

When Professor Dumbledore arrived, he glanced around at the Great Hall and picked out the four Marauders from the crowd. He looked at each of them in turn. They stood, nervously wondering what he would do. They grinned broadly however when, with a subtle swish, the lights went out and were replaced by flashing, colored lights. The charmed ceiling also changed and it appeared as though fireworks occasionally burst overhead.

"You really shouldn't encourage them," Professor McGonagall said, trying to sound stern and disapproving.

Professor Dumbledore simply looked at her and smiled. "One day soon, Minerva, they will be unable to throw off their worries with something as simple as music and lights. Let them hang on to their innocence a little while longer."

Most students assumed that this was a school-sanctioned event; but whether they knew the truth or not, a good time was had by all. Remus and Aden watched for a while before deciding to take a walk. Peter and Gwen, who had had a nice time at Hogsmeade together, hung out by the food table. They danced very little, since Peter was not a dancer and preferred to watch.

Sirius and James, being the overconfident white-boys that they were, danced their hearts out and made fools of themselves doing it. It just added to the fun for them, however. They even had a contest between them to see who could dance with the most girls. Sirius somehow managed to coerce a Slytherin to dance with him. James' proud moment of the night was getting Lily to agree to dance. She seemed in an unusually festive mood and agreed without much hesitation. It was a fast song, so she figured she was safe. Hayden was none-too-thrilled, though, to share his girl with anyone, and he quickly whisked Lily away from James.

During one slow song, Sirius headed toward the food table for a drink, but was intercepted by Daly.

"Dance with me," she said in a tone that would not allow for a refusal.

Sirius obliged. "I haven't seen you much lately."

"No. You know, I really thought the class workload would get slightly easier after the OWLs but it didn't really. I ended up practically locking myself in my room to study," she said by way of explanation. "Are you seeing anyone?"

Sirius grinned. "Never had trouble saying what's on your mind. No. I'm not. You?"

"Not currently. What about Gillette?"

Sirius was a little surprised Daly knew about Gillette. "No. We're just… good friends."

"Ah," she replied. "And Jazelle?"

Sirius cocked his head to the side. "Jazelle?" Sirius and James had had a nice time with Jazelle and her friend, Violet, at Hogsmeade, but that was about as far as things went with them. "No."

"When are you going to ask me?" Daly asked with a grin.

Sirius laughed. "Like I said, I haven't seen you around."

"Well, I am now."

"How about next Hogsmeade visit?" Andromeda's cryptic warning from a while back ran through Sirius' mind. He had since heard rumors about Daly from other guys she'd been out with – what a "good time" she was. Sirius really wasn't all that interested in going with her, but he figured it was a public enough place, and he could set up the usual afternoon rendezvous with the guys. That way if things weren't going well, at least he'd have company.

"Good. This is my seventh year. I was beginning to think I'd miss out on my chance."

"Chance at what?"

"At you, of course."

Sirius just shrugged. He prevented further conversation by pulling Daly closer, making it awkward to talk face-to-face. She seemed satisfied with this, as she rested her head on his shoulder, remaining quiet until the dance was over. As she walked away, she smiled coyly and said, "Hogsmeade."

Sirius smiled politely back as she left.

"What was that all about?" James asked.

"Looks like I have a date for the next Hogsmeade visit."

"Really?"

"With Daly?" Peter and Gwen joined them.

Sirius nodded.

Peter stared after her. "I've heard rumors about her."

"She's very nice," Gwen interjected. "And she's a great friend."

"Ah, Gwen," Sirius said jovially. "So sweet. So innocent. Peter hasn't been doing enough to corrupt you."

"Perhaps more than you think," Gwen joked back. She had learned in the short time she'd been dating Peter that the best way to deal with his friends was to joke with them.

"Ew! Gwen!" Sirius covered his eyes with his hand.

"Bad mental images," James added, with his face scrunched up in disgust.

Gwen blushed. "I didn't mean… Oh never mind…" She dragged Peter away to dance. He looked back at the guys, grinning like an idiot.

"Where'd Moony head off to?" Sirius asked.

"I think he and Aden went somewhere."

Sirius sniffed and wiped the corner of his eye. "Our little furball is growing up so fast."

- - - - -

Remus was enjoying the walk along the lake with Aden. He was often amazed both at how comfortable they were in silence, and how easy it was to talk. No matter how much time they spent together, they never ran out of things to talk about. He had learned a lot about her over the past few months. She was very smart, as he knew, witty in her own geeky sort of way. She was immeasurably patient, and she was strongly tied to her family. They were the most important thing in her life. And Remus liked that about her.

"Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"Where were you on Monday?"

Remus' stomach did a nasty flip. Monday had been a full moon. He knew this conversation would eventually take place, but he hadn't found a good way to handle the topic yet. "I wasn't feeling well."

They took a few more steps before Aden spoke again. "Is there anything you want to tell me? I mean… do you… do you have a… disease or something?"

Remus almost laughed out loud at the question, but decided that would not be the best response. "Would it matter?"

"Yes," Aden said, so quickly that Remus was taken by surprise, and he stopped to look at her. "I mean… if you're dying or something, that would be good to know," Aden clarified, realizing that she had probably come off a bit crassly.

Remus did smile at that and said, "No, I'm not dying."

"Oh good," Aden responded. They started walking again. "Is it… contagious?"

_Yeah if I bite you_. "Um," Remus again tried to think of the best way to answer the question. "Not likely."

"Oh." Aden pondered this answer, not sure if she really liked it or not. "But it's possible?"

Remus sighed. "There's always a possibility, I guess." Well, if things ended tonight, at least she didn't know the true nature of his "disease." "But, with the right… precautions… it's not likely."

Aden blushed, thinking Remus was talking about precautions during sex, which was not something they had even discussed at this point. "So what is it?" she asked.

Remus was silent for a few more steps. "I'd really rather not say, to be honest."

He saw the hurt flash in her eyes, but Aden surprised him again by saying, "I hope you'll trust me enough one day to tell me." She had surmised that Remus had been deeply hurt in the past by rejection, causing him to guard himself so carefully. So she pushed just a little at a time, hoping that one day, the door would be open enough for him to let her in.

Remus turned to Aden and put his forehead to hers. He felt a twinge of guilt that he wouldn't yet let himself trust her and that she knew it. But he was grateful that she still wasn't walking away. "Thank you," he whispered.

After a moment, they stepped apart. "We had better be heading back," Remus suggested.

Aden nodded and they walked back in amiable silence. As they got close to the entrance to the castle, Professor Slughorn came out with his wand lit.

"Ah. Miss Wallace, Mr. Lupin." Slughorn cast an unreadable glance at the two of them. "You're heading back inside, I take it."

"Yes sir," Remus answered.

"Good. Good. I'm off to," Slughorn cleared his throat, "bring other young couples back inside." He winked at them, then whistled loudly as he went. He was not going to sneak up on any snogging couples with how loudly he was whistling, which was probably the point.

Remus walked Aden back to her common room before heading to his. It was only ten o'clock, but the teachers must have decided that it was time for the unsanctioned party to finish. Fortunately for Gryffindors, the party-makers were in their house, so it simply moved and scaled down. By the time Remus arrived at the common room, music could be heard and Sirius was out fetching butterbeers.

At midnight, Professor McGonagall entered the common room and, turning off the music, told the students it was high time they settled down and went to bed. A few of the first-years had not wanted to miss any of the excitement and so had fallen asleep in various nooks and crannies of the room. They were gently nudged awake by older students and sent to bed.

The Marauders stayed in the common room a while longer. Sirius and James ribbed Peter about Gwen and then turned their attention to Remus to find out about his evening. He told them about the conversation with Aden and how close she was to knowing about his furry little problem.

"She's a keeper," Sirius said. "No doubt about it."

Remus shook his head at Sirius' comment, but it made him smile, too. "Yeah."

"So when are you going to tell her?" Peter asked. He had a knack for asking awkward questions.

"I don't know," Remus frowned.

Sirius was lying back on the couch with his eyes closed. "On their wedding night," he snickered and was promptly hit by a pillow, making him laugh more.

"Come on. Let's go to bed," James said.

Sirius opened one eye. "Are you asking me this time?" James shook his head and hit Sirius' foot. "Carry me," Sirius moaned.

"You get your own arse to bed," James retorted.

"You're just bitter because I danced with more girls," Sirius smiled.

"I'm not at all bitter. Quality over quantity," James smiled wistfully.

Sirius rolled his eyes and explained to Remus, "He danced with Evans."

"Ah. Well, come on lover boy. To bed." Remus patted James on the shoulder, and gently nudged him toward the stairs.

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again for the wonderful and encouraging reviews. Thank you all. Thanks also to those who've added me to your favorites. Awesome! Thanks. Thank you too to Mom, mei mei, and Sifi who act as sounding boards, tell me when something needs work and help me when my mind is blank and I'm in need of ideas. Love.

Oh, and for those of you not too into Aden - Don't worry, there won't be too many more conversations with Remus about his "problem." She has to find out eventually, right?

Nonair - Thanks, as always, for your lovely review. :) Sirius always has a lot going on, doesn't he? Remus too. I think it helps make them such interesting characters. But you're right. When someone does have the... strength to stand up for what's right, there isn't much compassion for those who don't. And Sirius does have his own issues with a bit of anger and a bit of crazy thrown in the mix.

I'm also glad you like "my" Snape and that he's consistent. I know I don't focus on him much, so I'm glad he's true to character when he does appear. Wow! "Brilliant." I'm flattered. Thank you!

Thanks again for the review.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer - the Usual.

Chapter 52

This year's Gryffindor Quidditch team consisted of James, Frank Longbottom and Horatio Jones as chasers, Turner and Gudgeon as beaters, Stacey as keeper, and Jules as the seeker. Having lost their keeper and a beater the previous year due to finishing school, the team was fairly well mixed between experienced players and new ones. Turner replaced Weatherton as captain, though James thought Frank should have gotten the captain's position. When the first game of the year came up, Gryffindor verses Slytherin, the entire team was anxious. Slytherin's team was, overall, older and larger, though not necessarily more skilled, the only exception being its new seeker – Regulus Black. He was easily the youngest, and therefore the smallest player on the team. His mere presence also added a hint of tension in the mix.

Slytherin was also in the habit of using any means necessary to win, making any game difficult to win and still maintain an intact team at the end of a confrontation.

The Slytherins used their superior size to bully and blockade the Gryffindors. One of their favorite tricks was to try and sandwich Gryffindor players, jarring the player in the hopes that he would lose his grip on the broom. Swinging bats entirely too close to the head of an opponent was also pretty standard. Fortunately, the Gryffindors were quick enough to keep out of reach of any bats, elbows and legs that swung their way.

Unfortunately a few mistakes were made by the newcomers to the Gryffindor team. In addition, Turner fumbled the quaffle, nearly causing the Gryffindors to lose all concentration. James managed to rally the chasers. After three goals were made, the team began to regain its equilibrium – just not in time. Before James could even shout a warning, Regulus had gone into a dive and snatched the quaffle out of the air as easily as picking a daisy. The game was over; Slytherin had won.

The Gryffindors had grown accustomed to winning. They had been undefeated for James' entire third year, and to lose to Slytherin was just an insult. Then entire team walked back to the common room in disgrace. Many of the Gryffindors patted their team on the backs and encouraged them. A few started up conversations about the cheating tactics of the Slytherins.

That evening, the guys were still trying to cheer up James. "James, it was just one game. Every team loses once in a while." Remus tried to sound encouraging, but James just sat sulkily in his chair.

Sirius, who was sitting on the couch next to Remus, stood up. "I'll be right back." He darted up the stairs and returned a minute later, school bag in hand, pausing as he passed the table at which Gillette, Patty and Lily were sitting. When he rejoined the others, he said, "You should hear Lily talk about the match."

"Why? Is she happy we lost?" James muttered.

Sirius shook his head at his friend's negativity. "Depression really doesn't suit you, mate. No. She's going off about how the Slytherins cheated and how Swiftly didn't call enough fouls. I never knew she was so into Quidditch."

James perked up a bit at this news and looked over in the direction of the girls. Lily was, in fact, gesturing frusrtatedly about something, though James couldn't hear what. A slight smile crept onto his face.

"Anyway, come on," Sirius motioned for the guys to follow. They all knew that if Sirius had a bag, the invisibility cloak was tucked away inside and they were off on an adventure.

Sirius led his fellow Marauders out onto the school grounds and headed toward the Whomping Willow. When he stopped in front of it, Remus asked, "What are we doing here?"

"Well, I was thinking… Since you're the only one who knows about this tunnel…"

"Except the professors, staff, and Headmaster," Remus corrected in a sarcastic tone.

"Right. Like I said, since you're the only one who knows about this tunnel, you could show us what's on the other side."

"You know what's on the other side," Remus said with forced exasperation. In truth, while the others knew about his secret, there were things they still hadn't seen and experienced. The shack was a torn up disaster, and he was afraid of what they would think of it – of him – when they saw it. So he was stalling.

"Yes, but we haven't been inside. The cave is an awesome hideout, but it's one other students know about…"

Peter coughed and it sounded suspiciously like "Gwen."

The guys stared at Peter in disbelief for a moment. "You little rascal, you," Sirius said, grabbing Peter and putting him in a head lock so he could give him a noogy. Had it not been so dark, it would have been clear that Peter was crimson with embarrassment, but also pride.

"How did you get so lucky?" James asked with mock envy.

None of the other guys had expected that he and Gwen had ever kissed, let alone having a snogging session in the cave. They gave him his due for being the first to reach that milestone.

Once they had settled down again, Sirius continued, "Where was I? Oh yes… Other students know about the cave." Sirius nodded at Peter. "But the shack… That could be just for us."

"I don't know…" Remus hesitated.

"Come on," James coaxed. "It's not like we're not going to see it eventually anyway."

Remus looked into the expectant faces before him. "Fine," he sighed. "There's two ways you can enter: cast a spell on the tree, or find a branch and prod a specific knot. Oh, and the spell has to hit the same knot." The Marauders watched with rapt attention. "I prefer the branch, because I find it hard to aim a spell at the knot. _Ferula_." Remus conjured a wooden rod to prod the knot on the tree.

The tree immediately stilled. Remus was grateful that it was a dark night, as he was out from under the cover of the invisibility cloak to do this.

The others entered the tunnel and Remus followed, making sure to keep his wand on the knot. It took some maneuvering on his part to work himself far enough into the tunnel while still keeping the tree paralyzed. But all four made it without injury.

They traveled for quite a while before the tunnel finally started sloping in an upward direction. Once they reached the door, the guys waited for Remus to open it. It was, after all, his place of refuge and, while they had really wanted to come, they didn't want to force him or be disrespectful to his feelings.

Remus put his hand on the door and took a deep breath before pushing it open. Once all four were inside, Remus watched intently, trying to gauge the reactions of his friends to what they were seeing.

Peter was clearly frightened. But he was always frightened by new things, so it told Remus very little of his thoughts. Sirius and James were both looking around, taking in every detail of the place. Sirius bent down and matched his finger tips with claw marks on the floor. James picked up a chair leg that had been gnawed off a nearby chair. They took it all in with stoic silence and schooled expressions, making Remus think they too were afraid, or they wouldn't have been trying so hard to remain impassive.

Peter was, in fact, very afraid. For not the first time, he wondered what he had gotten himself into, agreeing to become an animagus so he could spend time with a literal monster from children's nightmares. He knew it was unfair to Remus, but it didn't make things less true. But he had never seen with his eyes the damage that a werewolf could do. He knew he wouldn't back out, not now. But he wondered what he would do when they finally saw Remus as the werewolf. And that, the thought of losing face in front of his friends, scared him almost as much as actually facing the werewolf.

James had heard Remus explain what he went through. He heard him talk about the damage he did to things, and he'd already witnessed what Remus did to himself – that first night they confirmed he was a werewolf and carried him to the hospital wing two years ago. He began to doubt – to wonder – if they even would be able to help Remus as animagi. Would they be powerful enough to do anything to stop him from harming himself or others? James became afraid for his friend's future. Remus would not be at the school forever, and then what? When he no longer had this sanctuary, where would he go to transform? Would he turn his parents' house into another version of the shack? To James, seeing the shack made it all the more imperative that they become animagi and find a way to help Remus. Even if they fail, they at least had to try.

Sirius' thinking was, as to be expected, along the lines of James'. He was not any more afraid of Remus than before. That might change when he actually met the werewolf side of him, but for now he still only saw his friend. There was a certain irony in the fact that Sirius thought Remus had a much worse life than he did, since Remus thought the same of Sirius. But Sirius was saddened for his friend and what the future might hold for him. Seeing the shack had also strengthened his resolve to make sure they became animagi so they could stand with Remus, even in his darkest times.

Remus, who was already uncomfortable, began to shift from foot to foot as he waited for one of his friends to say something… anything. "Well?"

The other three turned their attention back to Remus.

James stepped forward and was the first to speak. "We'll find a way, Remus. I swear."

Sirius nodded, "We'll become animagi if it kills us."

Relief washed over Remus and he let out the breath he'd been holding. James took his hand in one of those brotherly handshakes, then drew him into a hug. Sirius joined them. Peter settled for placing a hand on Remus' back. They held that for only a moment before Sirius and James both stepped back. Remus surreptitiously wiped the corner of his eye.

Sirius moved so he was standing next to Remus and put an arm around him. "Come on, you big baby. Show us around."

The tour was considerably lighter than the initial introduction to the shack. James and Sirius joked the whole time and made plans for… making plans. They even suggested storing items in the shack, though Remus didn't think that was a good idea, as his wolf side might tear up whatever they brought here.

Satisfied with their new hideout, and both James and Remus considerably cheered, the guys sat and chatted about nothing for a while until they decided, that it was time to head back.

Chapter 53

The next Hogsmeade weekend arrived, and Daly made sure to remind Sirius that he said they'd be going together.

"Why don't you come with us?" Sirius asked James. Not only did he feel bad that his friend would be alone, since Remus was going to be with Aden and Peter with Gwen, but he was slightly uncomfortable being alone with Daly.

"Nah. It's fine," James waved off his friend's suggestion.

"It'll be you and I again, then," Peter said.

The other Marauders looked at Peter in surprise.

"What about Gwen?" Remus asked.

"Oh." Peter averted his eyes to his food and shifted in his seat. "We broke up."

"Why?" Sirius asked, still sounding stunned.

Peter shrugged. "We just… weren't right for each other."

"Why didn't you tell us?" James asked.

"Well, I just decided to do it yesterday."

Sirius snorted. "_You_ broke up with _her_?"

"Yes!" Peter answered defensively.

Sirius put his hands up and backed away from the table slightly, "Whoa. Okay. I was just wondering. Too bad. I liked her."

James nodded in agreement. "So… Who are you going to ask out next?"

Peter shrugged. "I don't know."

"We're still meeting for lunch, though, right?" Sirius confirmed. The others agreed.

After breakfast, the guys quickly got ready for their day out, then headed to the Entrance Hall to meet up with their respective dates, except for James and Peter of course, who just left for the village.

Remus and Aden were having their usual morning conversation over tea when Sirius and Daly stepped into Madam Puddifoot's. Sirius took one look around and grinned. Spotting Remus and Aden he headed over to them.

"So this is the tea shop you come to," Sirius smirked.

"Yes," Remus answered simply. "And I see you've managed to wind up here, too."

"I think we need to get James and Peter in here." Sirius was still looking around the store, grinning mischievously, as if he could picture letting a bull loose in the china shop.

"Sirius," Daly called. She had found a table for them while Sirius visited with his friends.

Remus gestured with his head to Daly. "How's it going?"

"Fine. I'm a guaranteed good time." Sirius was often at his most cocky when he was least comfortable. Remus didn't point this out. Turning to Daly, Sirius said, "I'll be right there." He dismissed himself from Aden and Remus' table and walked to the counter to order tea from Madam Puddifoot. "Lovely décor, Madam," Sirius said with his most charming smile. "You really know how to set a mood."

"Ah. Sweet boy. Here's your tea. Go back to your lovely lady, before she suspects anything," Madam Puddifoot flirted back with a wink. She was a kindly older woman who knew how to take young boys in stride.

Sirius took the tea to Daly and joined her at the table she had picked out. He looked around at the couples filling the establishment and chuckled to himself.

They talked easily of Quidditch and classes, professors and fellow students. After some time, however, Sirius suggested they take a walk. They walked up and down the main street, not really stopping in any of the stores. Sirius had the vague impression he was on display, as groups of students passed by and eyed the "couple."

Lunch time came, none too soon for Sirius, and they met the others at The Three Broomsticks. James and Sirius made it a goal of theirs to see Madam Rosmerta laugh at least once during their visits, as well as flirt with the lovely barmaid. While they were eating, the Marauders were joined by Gillette, Lily, and Stacey.

Tension began to build as Daly became more and more aggravated by the way Sirius behaved. He never treated her badly, but he also did not treat her as special. He acknowledged that they were on a date, but his friendly, though somewhat flirtatious, personality was spread evenly among all of the females at the table – except Lily.

Daly was even more upset when she found out that Sirius habitually spent the afternoon with his Marauder friends instead of solely in the company of his date. Aden tried often to strike up a conversation with Daly, who simply seemed uninterested in socializing. After a couple of hours of this, Sirius said, "Come on, Daly, let me take you back to the castle." She seemed pleased again to be getting his undivided attention.

Once back at the castle, Daly asked Sirius to follow her, which he did. She led him to one of the towers overlooking the lake. It wasn't as high as the Astronomy Tower and it provided a different view than the Gryffindor Tower. Like windows, Sirius loved towers and the freedom he felt looking out at the view. It was almost as good as flying.

"Did you have a good time?" Sirius asked, knowing she didn't, though not entirely sure why.

"It was all right. I was really hoping to get to spend time alone with you," Daly answered. "Do you like me?"

"Sure," Sirius answered noncommittally.

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Yes." This was true. Daly was one of the more attractive seventh-years in the school. She was tan and fit from playing Quidditch. And her deep brown eyes were a perfect match to her chocolate brown hair.

"Most guys try very hard to get me alone, you know." Daly sidled up to Sirius, placing her hand on his chest, playing with one of the pleats on his robe.

Sirius wasn't quite sure what to say to this. "And I really didn't have to try at all." Something flashed in Daly's eyes that he couldn't quite place, but she didn't back away. "Why is that?"

"Because I like you," Daly answered simply.

Sirius doubted that was the real answer. Daly had been forward with him since they met, and they barely knew each other. Not to mention the fact that she didn't seem interested in his friends, which, in his opinion, meant she wasn't really interested in him. "And my name has nothing to do with this… attraction?" he asked rather coolly. Daly was not a Slytherin, but like it or not, many other wizards also put stock in name and bloodlines.

"No," Daly smirked. "Do you know how many girls want to date you?"

"Uh," Sirius was not unaware of his popularity, but he didn't really know what that had to do with the current conversation. "Why?"

"I just wanted to be your first."

"Girlfriend?" Sirius asked somewhat naively.

"No. I'm leaving school in a couple of months and you still have three years after this one." Daly moved closer still to Sirius and said in a hushed voice, "Your first."

"Oh," Sirius said while chuckling. He grabbed Daly firmly by the arms and stepped back from her. He felt a sudden need to flee. "Thank you, but no. I'm going to go now."

"You're kidding, right?" Daly asked sounding offended.

"Um… no. Look you're… nice… but I kind of want love to be involved in that decision and… there isn't. So, goodnight."

Daly scrutinized Sirius carefully. "You're serious."

"Yes." He didn't even try to make his usual joke.

"So I probably just ruined my chances with a genuinely nice guy."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Daly sighed. "Walk me back to the common room?"

Sirius thought about it and decided that was safe enough, so he nodded and they left the tower together. They met a few students along the way from the tower to the Hufflepuff common room.

Once they arrived, Daly turned to Sirius. Blushing, she said rather shyly, "I'm… I'm sorry about earlier. And thanks. You're a good guy."

Sirius smiled at her. "It was… interesting," he said, with a chuckle that she returned.

Daly leaned in and kissed Sirius, a soft, gentle, slow kiss that had the fourteen-year-old boy temporarily wondering what he had just turned down and why. But she stepped away, and his senses returned. It was his turn to blush and he waved shyly at her as he turned to leave.

He made it back to the common room before the others did, so he spent some time looking into the binding spell for the map. Peter and Remus had finished drawing the map on several layers of parchment. It was a tricky bit of puzzle making that allowed the map to either be opened up by floor or by section, allowing secret passages to link to other locations.

When James and Peter came back, James carrying a full backpack worth of new things from Zonkos Joke Shop, they put their belongings away and came over to join Sirius in discussing how to go about getting everything required for the spell. Suppertime arrived and Remus still wasn't back, so they headed to the Great Hall and figured he'd join them there, which he did.

Remus told them, briefly and with little detail, about his date and then, in turn, asked Sirius about his. He also gave little detail, but assured them that everything turned out all right and nothing had happened.

The next morning at breakfast, Daly came over to their table.

"We need to talk," she said, sounding rather serious and a tad nervous.

Sirius moved over on the bench and made room for her to sit down. "Go ahead."

She glanced at his friends nervously. Deciding she'd rather just Sirius heard what she had to say, she leaned in to whisper to him. "I swear to you I didn't say anything," she began.

Sirius pulled back some so he could look her in the face. "What?"

Leaning back in and motioning for him to do the same, she whispered, "Apparently, some people saw us coming back from the tower. They assumed… because of my… reputation… that we did more than talk." Sirius flushed and nodded his understanding. "I tried to tell them nothing happened, but… the rumor's already spreading."

"How much more?" Sirius whispered back.

Daly looked down, for the first time ashamed of her reputation. "All the way."

Sirius glanced around and saw several students looking in their direction, whispering to each other. "Okay. Thanks for the heads up."

Daly studied Sirius' face. "You're not mad?"

"Believe me, I've dealt with worse. So no, I'm not mad. And thanks for trying to tell the truth."

She gave him a relieved smile. Standing to leave, she leaned over and whispered one more time, "You really are a good guy."

"What was that all about?" James asked after Daly walked away.

"Well," Sirius said unconcernedly, "apparently, I had a really good time with Daly yesterday."

"Huh?" Peter asked over a mouthful of food.

"A rumor's going around that we… uh… did a little more than snog."

"I thought you said nothing happened." Peter looked confused.

"It didn't. Well… we did kiss, but that was it."

Remus spocked an eyebrow.

Sirius put up his hands. "Hey. I'm innocent." He grinned. "This time."

There really wasn't anything any of the guys could do, and since Sirius wasn't bothered by what others thought about him, they let it go; denying it when confronted, but not trying to change the thinking of the entire school.

That evening, Gillette and Stacey joined the guys in their usual place around the fire.

"So is it true?" Gillette asked Sirius.

"Nope." Gillette nodded her acceptance of the statement and that was the last it was mentioned.

- - - - -

A/N - I do apologize for the delay in posting. I was out of town this last weekend. It's amazing how you can have a blast and still need a day to recoup. Maybe that's just a sign of my age. Anyhoo… Two short, little chapters for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks again to all who review. You're awesome! Thanks also to my beloved Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love you.

Nonair – Thank you… again. :) I'm glad you thought the party was a bit original. I'm glad you like Peter also. Poor boy does struggle with his darker nature. He just… seldom wins, it seems. I'm glad you like Remus and Aden, too. I hope it's not too unnaturally mature, but a little is okay. He has had to grow up a little more than James and Peter at least. The Death Eater thing is interesting from the standpoint that, I imagine the kids to be very sheltered. It just tends to happen on small campuses. And at that age, kids tend to not care so much about world events anyway. That's the main reason I haven't said a whole lot about the war, even though it's obviously going on. So I'm glad you liked how it was brought in. Thank you for all the compliments and encouragement.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 54

The train ride home for Christmas was comfortable and long and felt almost like normal. Remus was along for the trip because James had invited him to spend the holidays at his house. He would not be transforming during their time off, so it was the perfect time for a visit and Madam Pomfrey agreed he could go. None of the Marauders had wanted him alone, since this would be his first Christmas without his parents and, truth be told, Remus didn't want to be alone at the school, either. With so few students staying at Hogwarts over the holidays, the large school got a little lonely in the best of times. Madam Pomfrey figured things would seem more homey for Remus… well, at a home.

When they arrived at the station, the guys made their way over to the Potters and the, now, Wagners. As they approached, they could hear Peter's mum going on about the wedding and the honeymoon and the lovely time they had. The Evanses and Beynons were there, too. As usual, Peter's mum ushered him off rather quickly, leaving the others standing in the station. Mrs. Potter welcomed Sirius and Remus with open arms, as she did her own son.

A minute or so later, Gillette and Lily disembarked from the train and were deep in conversation when Petunia saw them. She immediately excused herself to join them, and they all started talking together.

When they reached their parents, Lily asked, "Mum, would it be all right if I spent a week with Gillette? They're going skiing."

"Well…" Mrs. Evans hesitated. She glanced at Petunia. "I thought we'd spend the holiday together."

"Oh don't worry mum," Petunia jumped in. "Vernon and I are meeting some of his friends for a get together… yes, at his parents' house. And yes, his parents will be home." She automatically filled in the details with only a slight rolling of her eyes.

"Oh. Well, I suppose then." Mrs. Evans' answer was immediately followed by an outbreak of girly squeeing and hopping.

Remus, Sirius, and James exchanged an exasperated look at the girly antics. James said, "Remus, will you be able to come over? We'll be able to stay up all night and have girly conversations and listen to music and get into pillow fights…"

"…And braid each other's hair," Remus joined in and the two started squeeing and hopping like little girls, at which point Sirius hit both of them on the back of the head.

Imitating a drill instructor, which lead to James and Remus snapping to attention, Sirius said, "You are men! Men! And don't you forget it! There will be no girly conversations – though plenty of conversations about girls." Sirius winked at Gillette. "There will be no pillow fights or braiding of the hair – let alone grooming of any kind. There will be no squealing and excited hopping. You're men – stoic and proud. You eat like pigs and belch and leave a mess wherever you go and leave the toilet seat up and…" he would have continued on, but Mrs. Potter gently cuffed him on the back of the head.

"Not in my house you won't," she said as sternly as she could, while trying not to laugh.

"Aww mum," Sirius complained. "You take all the fun out of being a guy."

"Sirius!"

"Speak of the devil," James whispered to Sirius, who nodded in agreement.

"See you soon," Sirius waved and then gave Mrs. Potter a peck on the cheek before leaving for the house that he no longer considered home and the woman he no longer considered mum.

Sirius thought it odd that his mother didn't take them straight home. Due to the prank, Regulus was thoroughly ignoring his brother, and probably would have hexed him more than once if they weren't in such a public place, that being Diagon Alley.

Out of the blue, Mrs. Black said, "How did you pay for your supplies this year?"

Sirius was confused by the question. "Uh… I didn't. You gave the Potters money… for…" Sirius groaned, "You didn't, did you?"

Mrs. Black looked outraged. "The Potters? The Potters paid for your things? Well! That will have to be rectified. No son of mine is going to be a beggar. You will repay them – from your own account."

"Fine." Sirius didn't even argue the point. He would be more than happy to pay them back. He never would have let them buy his things had he known. He felt somewhat stupid for having thought his parents had worked out a deal with the Potters, but he could make things right by paying them back.

Mrs. Black huffed slightly. She had apparently been looking for an argument, but it hadn't come.

"Why aren't we going home?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"I have errands to run."

"You? Why didn't you send a house elf to do it for you?"

"Don't talk back to me."

After about an hour, Mrs. Black suddenly decided it was time to go home. When they got there, she glanced around briefly and then stood still, as if unsure what to do. Sirius took the opportunity to look around, and noticed a cloak hanging on one of the hooks near the door.

"Who's here?" Sirius asked.

"Um…" Mrs. Black clasped her hands together. "Someone for your father. Head upstairs, both of you."

Sirius was more than happy to oblige, but just as he reached the stairs, he heard the door to his father's study open and a voice wafted out that he didn't recognize. He paused, trying to catch a glimpse of the face that went with the voice. Only, when he did actually see the face, he wished he hadn't. The man walking with his father to the front hall was deathly pale and gaunt. He had red eyes. Sirius thought vaguely that he was looking at the incarnation of evil… or Slytherin himself.

"Ah. Your sons," his voice was higher than expected and, though he smiled, there was nothing warm or friendly about the man.

"Yes, my Lord. The oldest one there is Sirius. And our youngest, Regulus," Mr. Black said quickly.

After years of training, fear made Sirius fall back on what he knew best – his manners. Without thinking, he bowed before the man as he was introduced.

There was no return introduction. Instead, the man stared unwaveringly into Sirius' eyes as if probing for information, then he did the same to Regulus, who had returned to standing next to Mrs. Black. "Regulus," the man said slowly, his voice carrying a hint of a hiss with it. "You will do well – enough. But you…" He approached Sirius, who was standing on the first step and so was at equal height with the man before him. "You do not hold to the beliefs of your parents. Foolish boy!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius saw his father make a jerky movement, as if to interrupt, but he remained silent.

"Look at me!" The man's voice did not raise, but the command was irresistible. "I can see it clearly. You're an open book, boy. Gryffindor, friend of mudbloods, blood-traitors, and… Oh yes!" The cold smile reappeared. The man leaned in and whispered, "A half-breed."

Sirius' eyes got wide and his stomach flipped over on him. How had he known? Would this man tell his parents? Or anyone?

But abruptly, the man stepped back and chuckled as he strode to the front door, Sirius' father following quickly behind him. They said parting words and, when the man had finally left, Mr. Black kept his hand on the door knob and took a few seconds to gather himself.

"Do you delight in humiliating us?" Mrs. Black yelled. "Why do you think we stayed away so long? So we wouldn't have you embarrass us in front of him."

"Walburga." Mr. Black didn't sound angry, just tired. Mrs. Black fell silent. "Go to your room Sirius. I will be up shortly."

Sirius hurried to his room and waited. He didn't even bother to point out he'd done absolutely nothing wrong this time. He couldn't shake the feeling of fear and powerlessness that the man had brought forward. And he couldn't help but wonder how he knew the things he did. Was it possible to read someone else's mind?

A few minutes passed and Mr. Black stepped into Sirius' room. "As you may have guessed, that was the Dark Lord." Sirius watched his father closely. He was confused by the lack of signs of anger. "Sirius…" his father sighed. "I… I fear for your safety. I fear for Regulus, too, though for different reasons. You were to be the Black Heir." Sirius noted the past-tense usage of "to be." "You were perfect in so many ways," Mr. Black reached out and barely touched the front of Sirius' hair. "Why?..." Mr. Black let out another frustrated sigh. Then his features, which had been uncharacteristically soft, hardened abruptly. "I have not been able to do a proper job raising you. There are times when, in order to avoid greater danger, one must face a lesser one so that one can recognize the wrong and turn from his errant course. I am turning your discipline over to your mother. Perhaps she can do what I could not." Mr. Black headed toward Sirius' door. Just as he was about to step over the threshold, he said in the softer tone from earlier, "And Sirius… learn about occlumency." Then he was gone.

Sirius sat on his bed, stunned. His mind swirled in confusion. So much had happened in such a short span of time. He had come face-to-face with The Dark Lord, which left him feeling naked and exposed. Then his father had given some indication that – dare he even think it – he was loved. And he wasn't even sure how he felt about that. It had become easy to hate his family when he believed they hated him – or at least, didn't love him. He wasn't sure which was worse, being treated the way he was, or being treated the way he was because they loved him – at least his father did.

After a couple of hours of nothing but circular arguments with himself, Sirius decided to go to sleep. He would talk to James tomorrow.

For the next week, however, Sirius didn't get a chance to talk with James. If he was not in the presence of his mother, he was in the presence of her infernal house elf, Kreacher. She yelled at him for everything. He wasn't really sure how this was supposed to change his mind about his beliefs, but at least nobody was getting hurt.

After a week, Sirius had to resort to taking the mirror to the bathroom so he could talk to James, who he knew would be going ballistic because of the number of times Sirius had had to ignore the mirror vibrating in his pocket.

Sitting in the bathroom with water running in the background, Sirius whispered, "James Potter."

"Sirius!" James answered surprisingly quickly. Sirius watched James grab a napkin and realized he was eating breakfast. "Where the hell have you been?"

Sirius heard Mrs. Potter say, "Language, James," in the background, causing him to smile.

"Sorry mum." James looked somewhere to the right of the mirror. "Mum was about to send the Ministry in to storm your house and get you out. You okay? What are you doing?'

"I can't talk long. I'm in the bathroom. I don't know if I'll be able to talk again… long story. Do me a favor," Sirius requested.

"Okay," James replied.

"Ask Mum what occlumency is."

"Mum, Sirius wants to know…" James was cut off by another voice, who Sirius figured was Remus, which cursed and then quickly apologized. "What?"

"James," Remus started.

"What?" James got up and went out of Sirius' view. Sirius heard James say "No!"

"James?" Sirius called to him, risking exposure.

"Mum?" James sounded far more upset than Sirius was comfortable with.

"James… talk with Sirius. I'll get your Father and we'll contact the ministry and find out if anyone… survived," Mrs. Potter said.

"Sirius!" James said, having temporarily forgotten the mirror and his friend on the other side. "Sirius," James suddenly reappeared in the mirror looking shaken. "Evans! The Evanses were killed." It was Sirius' turn to curse.

- - - - -

A/N – Sorry, once again, for being late. My only excuse this time is that yesterday was Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans (as I think we're the only ones who celebrate it). Of course, thank you much to those who read and reviewed. And thank you to my wonderful editors, Mom and mei mei, and my awesome (on so many levels) beta, J.A. Carlton.

Thank you all.


	9. Chapter 9

Usual disclaimer applies.

Chapter 55

Remus' curse, and subsequent apology, had gotten James' full attention, as it was highly unusual for him to do so, even when it was just the four Marauders. But when Remus hesitated to share what he had just read in _The Daily Prophet_, James jumped to his feet to find out why. When he read that another muggle family - a muggle family with a witch for a daughter - had been killed, his stomach dropped, and he knew it was somebody they knew. Then he found the name – Evans. "No!" was all he could say. It couldn't be true. "Mum?" As childish as it sounded, he needed her to fix things.

Mrs. Potter quickly scanned the article which had clearly affected both boys deeply. As soon as she saw the names, she understood. She had seen her son interact with Lily and watched him as he watched her walk away. She didn't know if even James realized he was in love with the cute redhead, and her heart went out to him. "James… talk with Sirius. I'll get your Father and we'll contact the ministry and find out if anyone… survived." She immediately left the kitchen to find Charles. She found him in their bedroom getting dressed.

"Charles. You need to contact the Ministry – Moody, maybe."

Mr. Potter looked at his wife and knew immediately something was wrong. The fact that she mentioned the auror didn't help his feelings about whatever was going on. "Eileen?"

"The Evanses, Charles. The Evanses were killed; but it didn't mention the children."

"Right." Mr. Potter pulled on a robe and immediately headed to the fireplace. He grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it in. "Ministry of Magic – Department of Magical Law Enforcement – Alastor Moody."

"Charles?" came Moody's growl of a voice. "Now's not a good time…"

"I know, Alastor. I apologize but I'm looking for information on the Evanses. My son goes to school with their daughter."

Alastor sighed. There were very few people he would take pause for when he was as busy as he currently was. Charles Potter was one of them, but he didn't have time for pleasantries. "The daughters are alive. Now I really must go."

"Thank you," Charles said, not minding Alastor's abruptness. It was one of the things that had endeared him to Charles.

Charles moved quickly for his age, not wanting to keep his son and Remus waiting for news. Mrs. Potter was standing by the kitchen sink watching the boys in front of her and trying hard not to look too upset. Remus was sitting at the kitchen table, stock-still. This was too close to home for him and it brought up memories from the previous summer. James was pacing… waiting for confirmation.

"Okay. I just spoke with Moody. Lily and Petunia are alive." Now that Mr. Potter was in the kitchen, Mrs. Potter felt able to let down her guard somewhat. On hearing the news, she felt relief, but also great sadness. How many more children would be killed or left parentless because of this madman and his crusade? What kind of future was in store for her own son? Her eyes filled with tears, though she tried to hold them back, and she rushed forward to the two boys, giving them each a hug in turn.

"She was going to visit Gillette – skiing," James said somewhat weakly. Relief washed over him at his father's words and, after his mum hugged him, he plopped into a seat at the table. Looking over at Remus, he asked, "You okay?"

Remus nodded, but didn't say anything.

Sirius had to go as soon as he found out about the article, and so didn't know that Lily was still alive. "We have to tell Sirius."

"He's not getting any letters," Remus finally spoke.

"What?" Mr. Potter asked.

Mrs. Potter nodded. "It's true. All of the owls have been sent back. I finally received a letter from Mrs. Black ordering me to stop writing. I'm surprised she sent them back actually, figured she'd just burn them. Probably wanted me to know he wasn't getting them…" her voice trailed off.

"Can we go to the funeral?" James asked, interrupting her train of thought.

"Yes, of course, dear."

The next few days went by quickly, with letters being sent to several people, trying to find ways to keep Sirius in the loop, and finding out where the funeral was going to be held. The Potters and Remus attended the funeral, as did Peter, his mum and John. Actually, a decent number of Hogwarts students and their families showed up to offer their support. It created a few awkward and even humorous moments as the wizard and muggle cultures came together with some confusion about traditions but, over all, the atmosphere was one of somber support and understanding.

James noticed that, at the funeral, Lily seemed very much alone. For how close the sisters had been, he wondered why Petunia wasn't comforting her. Petunia, instead, leaned heavily on whom James assumed was Vernon Dursley, who cast a wary eye on any wizard who dared get too close to them. James was also selfishly, though silently, pleased to see that Lily had not turned to Hayden for support.

Lily sat straight backed and very still in her chair throughout the service. She had the same dazed look that Remus had worn the previous summer. After the service, James walked up to where Lily sat. The red of her eyes only accentuated the green as she raised them look at James. He knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. "Lily… I'm really sorry. If there's anything I can do…" He really didn't know what to say. He hadn't known what to say when Remus' parents were killed. He didn't feel any more adequate now.

Lily nodded and looked down, effectively dismissing him. With a sigh, he stood up and kissed the top of her head before walking away. He found Remus standing, with his arm around Aden, next to Gillette and a few other girls from their year. They stood together for a while, talking about what they knew and how Lily had found out about what happened. Gillette mentioned that Petunia, in her grief, had said some pretty nasty things to Lily, but she hoped things would get better before summer, especially because Petunia was now Lily's guardian, since she was of legal age to take care of her.

The train ride back to school was rather subdued for the Marauders. Sirius asked to be filled in on everything. Remus remained silent, even excusing himself at one point, saying he was going to sit with Aden for a while.

Sirius asked James if he had had the opportunity to ask Mrs. Potter about occlumency.

"No. Why?" James volleyed a question back.

Sirius then launched into what had happened the night he'd returned from school – whom he'd met and what his father had said about learning occlumency. He kept some things to himself, feeling slightly childish for wanting so badly for his fathers words to mean he'd loved him all along, that he didn't want to share them and find out his father meant something else. "Don't worry about it, I'll just write mum and ask."

"Oh, speaking of," James handed Sirius a couple letters from his mum. "Mum wrote you, but apparently you weren't allowed post. So she wanted me to give you these."

Sirius sighed at just finding out his letters were being withheld, "Well, at least my mother didn't burn them."

At that comment James laughed. Seeing the expression on Sirius' face, he said, "Oh, sorry. That's what mum said – about burning them."

Sirius nodded. "Thanks," he said, giving the letters a slight wave.

At the feast which opened the spring term, the invitation was once again given for the students to talk with staff or prefects. A Hufflepuff prefect even stood up and mentioned she was starting a group for students who had lost loved ones and wanted to sit and talk about what was going on. Once back in the common room, many students had started working on classwork right away. The long train ride had allowed them to catch up on news, but it didn't feel right to break the quiet that had settled over everything. So students did work or went to bed.

Gillette came down the stairs from her dorm and sat between Stacey and Sirius on the couch, the rest of the Marauders in their usual places. Remus was staring into the fire again.

"How is she?" James asked.

Gillette shook her head and looked down at her hands. "Not good. Remus?" Remus shifted his gaze from the fire to Gillette. "Could you talk to her?"

"What?" Remus was startled out of his reverie. "Why me?"

"Because you lost your parents, too. You know better than the rest of us what she's going through. Will you?" Gillette pleaded.

Remus glanced over at James, who nodded his approval. "If she wants to talk, I'll listen. But not before she's ready."

Gillette leaned forward and patted Remus' knee. "Thank you."

Remus nodded, then announced he was going to bed. James and Peter followed, which meant Stacey left soon after.

Sirius settled back on the couch, his arm draped over the back, waiting for Gillette to settle in with him. He grinned slightly. "She has a crush on James doesn't she?"

"Huh? Oh. Stacey. Yeah."

"It's a lost cause…"

Gillette chuckled lightly. "I know. I've tried to tell her."

When Gillette stayed sitting forward, Sirius put his hand on her back. "Gillette? What's wrong?" She tensed and actually seemed to compress in on herself. It took a moment for Sirius to realize she was crying. He sat up and shifted so he was facing her. "Gill, what is it?"

She took a moment to stop crying, then turned to face him. "I feel so selfish," she started.

"Why?" he dried her tears with his thumbs, and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Lily… she's heartbroken. She's lost her parents… and all I can think is – I'm glad Lily was with us. I'm glad that wasn't my parents… and… I'm terrified." Sirius drew Gillette into a hug, wrapping himself around her protectively. "They're killing muggle-borns and half-bloods. It could easily have been my parents… my family. So I'm glad. How terrible of a friend am I?"

"You're not a bad friend. You love your family. Be grateful. Be grateful they're still alive. Let it help you appreciate them more. But that doesn't make you a bad friend, because I know you would never wish this on Lily – or anyone. You didn't ask for it to be them – her. Did you?" Gillette shook her head. "Help her. Be there for her. But don't feel guilty."

They sat there for a while, Sirius keeping her wrapped in safety and comfort, then Gillette lifted her head. "I should probably go…"

"Mmm," was all Sirius said.

She rested her forehead against his chest and let out a small sigh. "I don't want to."

Sirius lifted her head. "Then don't." He kissed her lightly, though this time intentionally. They both grinned slightly , and settled down on the couch to sleep.

The next morning, Sirius heard a snicker and quiet footsteps approach the couch from behind. Without opening his eyes, he growled, "Don't even think about it."

This woke up Gillette, who raised her head. She squealed, causing Sirius' eyes to pop open. He saw a water bucket floating above the two of them and immediately grabbed Gillette in his arms and rolled, quite ungracefully, to the floor. This slightly painful fall was quickly followed by ice-cold water pouring onto his back. Despite being tall and well-built for his age, he wasn't huge, which meant he wasn't able to completely shield Gillette from the water and she screamed as some of it splashed her as well. Fortunately for everyone, Gillette was a morning person with a love for good pranks. She took one look at Sirius' face and dripping hair and burst out laughing.

"Well. That's the last time I try to save the damsel in distress," Sirius muttered. Hopping to his feet, he turned on his victims – a wildly laughing James and Remus. Peter looked too tired to have done anything. Actually he looked too tired to know what was going on, so Sirius assumed his innocence in the attack. Sirius launched himself over the couch he had just vacated. James and Remus took off in opposite directions. He caught Remus as he retreated back up the stairs. Pulling out his wand, he hexed Remus with hair that sprouted from his nose and ears, then he turned to his next target, who had just slipped out the portrait hole.

James figured he'd take sanctuary in the very public and teacher-filled Great Hall, so he ran. What followed was a rather magnificent chase with leaping of banisters, sliding down rails, grabbing corners so that the skid of trying to stop became a turn down a new corridor and running could continue. Despite Sirius' longer stride, James proved the quicker of the two, at least enough to keep out of Sirius' reach. James crashed through the Great Hall doors, making most of the early risers jump at the unexpected noise, and walked speedily to the Gryffindor table. Sirius, however, finally able to catch James, slid onto the bench next to him and pinned him between himself and a first-year on James' other side.

"Good morning, James," Sirius said with a far too large grin. "Would you like some water?" And without waiting for an answer, Sirius reached for the pitcher with ice-cooled water. "Here, allow me." He then manhandled James so that his head was forced forward while pulling back on the neck of his robes, and Sirius poured the water – ice and all – down the back of James' robes.

James performed a rather impressive wriggly dance with his back arched from the cold and his arms flailing out to the sides. He nearly knocked the first year to the floor.

Professor McGonagall calmly walked up to the boys. Shaking her head slightly, she said, simply, "Detention tomorrow. Both of you." And continued on her way.

Remus, who looked very much like himself again, and Peter arrived with both Sirius' and James' school books. Taking in the state of James clothes and hair, they started laughing, which, in turn, started Sirius and James laughing as well.

They heard a glass being set forcefully onto the table. When they looked toward the noise, they saw Lily get up and agitatedly speedwalk out of the Great Hall.

James followed her. "Evans. Evans, wait up." He finally caught up to her on the stairs leading from the Entrance Hall to the Gryffindor section of the castle. Grabbing her arm and spinning her to face him, he noticed she had started crying. "Evans, what is it? What did I do now?"

"Nothing. And why do you assume it has anything to do with you?" she answered angrily, as she wiped her eyes.

"Well, you weren't upset until we started laughing, so… what did we do?"

"Nothing! It's just…"

"What?" he asked gently.

"It just isn't fair!" Lily burst out. She covered her mouth as if she hadn't meant to speak.

"What?" James was thoroughly confused.

Speaking much quieter, Lily said, "It just isn't fair. Life isn't supposed to just… go on. People shouldn't be laughing." Looking back up at James, anger in her eyes and voice. "People are dying! And I'm not just talking about my p… my parents. Others too. But life just goes on. And I can't… just…" her voice hitched and she started crying again.

James had no idea what to say, so he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. "I'm sorry, Lily."

After a few moments, she sniffed and stepped back. "Yeah, me too."

James watched as she jogged up the stairs back to their common room.

Over time, life did just go on and things settled close to normal at the school. But with the increasing reports of deaths – not just students and their families, but other half-bloods and squibs were being targeted as well – while the laughter eventually came back to the school, it was tempered with foreboding. The world was becoming darker, and the students were having a harder time holding on to their innocence and blissful ignorance.

- - - - -

A/N - I know, I know. I'm late again. And I don't even have a good excuse this time. Very sorry. But thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter (I will respond to y'all. I promise). You guess keep me going - with the writing. :) Thank you. Thank you also to my awesome editors and beta - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Lots of love.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer - Meh... y'all know it's not mine.

Chapter 56

March was anything but a meek lamb as it rolled, or more like barreled, into April. The weather was so bad that, for once, Quidditch practice had been canceled. With the unexpected free evening, the guys grabbed the invisibility cloak and set out to finish up the Marauder's Map. They stopped by the library to confirm their last minute changes to the spell they were using. Since they weren't yet using the cloak, Sirius borrowed it to slip into the restricted section.

Mrs. Potter had gotten back to him about occlumency. It was a branch of magic used to guard one's mind against outside intrusion – specifically, to counter legilimency. Sirius wanted to see if he could find a book that taught how to practice occlumency or maybe the theory behind it. He hadn't been able to find anything useful in the regular section of the library.

After thirty minutes or so, Sirius heard a whispered call, "Sirius!" He took note of the title of the book he was reading and then hurried back out of the restricted section, removing the cloak as he joined the others.

Next, they headed to the dungeons. Once inside the classroom they were using, they magically sealed the door and put a silencing charm on it.

"Okay," Remus said. "The potion looks perfect. We just need to add the… you know."

"Rock and water?" Sirius chuckled.

The binding spell was high level magic. It was made to bind something to another object that changed over time – usually something living. Two of the ingredients for the binding required the flesh and blood of the object to which something was being bound. This had made Remus and James nervous, as they thought that pushed the spell into the dark side of magic. But they justified that, since they were binding to the castle, and it didn't really have flesh or blood, they weren't hurting anything. Modifying the potion and spell slightly to fit an inanimate object, they used the rock for flesh and water for blood. They also had to mark the castle with a runic symbol at the four points of the compass. Then they had to gather pieces of the castle, they figured chips of the stone walls would do, for the points farthest from the center. They also took a splinter of wood from the headmaster's chair that sat in the Great Hall. The potion required something from the heart of the castle and that was the closest they could figure it to be. The Great Hall was where most of the school events took place. Everyone had to enter the Great Hall at some point or other to eat. And they chose the Headmaster's chair because he kept the school running and organized.

"Now lay the map on the floor," Remus instructed. The four Marauders stood, surrounding the map, while Remus recited an incantation which roughly translated was "map bind to castle." It was such a stupid incantation that Sirius and James snickered every time they heard it. And he poured the potion over the map.

At first nothing happened, but then a breeze swept through the room, making a sucking noise as it intensified over the map. Light was also drawn to the spot where the map rested on the floor. It culminated in a bright flash that made each of the guys shield their eyes. Then it was over.

They looked at the ground and didn't see anything – including the map. Remus knelt down and ran his hand over the ground. As he did a thick layer of dirt pushed aside to reveal that the map had simply been buried by the debris that seemed to come from nowhere. He picked up the map by its corner and shook it slightly to free it from more dirt and dust. He laid it on a nearby desk and looked up at the others. They gathered around the desk and James nodded at Remus, who opened it.

Sirius let out a long whistle. The map was perfect. They quickly noticed that it had even filled in a few rooms and corridors they had missed. Where there used to be a circle marked "statue," there was now a perfect tiny drawing of the statue.

"Excellent!" Sirius said in an awed whisper.

Peter's eyes moved quickly around the map, taking in the things that they had missed or mislabeled. "Look at that," he'd say every once in a while as he'd catch something new.

"Just one more spell to go," James said, grinning.

Remus nodded. He'd been researching how the personalities of the people in portraits stayed true to who they represented. They wanted to add a bit of themselves to the map for future fun-seekers. "It's actually a pretty simple spell - relatively. I'll be ready by next week."

"Fantastic!" James said excitedly. "So who's up for a bit of practice?"

Peter groaned. By October, all four Marauders were able to cast non-verbal spells with regularity. Peter's occasionally missed their mark, but for the most part, he was right on with the others. They had gotten so good at it that they'd started dueling with non-verbal spells. Their private study sessions were the only times they practiced that freely. They were smart enough to know that using non-verbal spells in public or at the Dueling Club, would lead to unwanted attention. They only did them when there was enough other magic flying that they were pretty well guaranteed not to get caught. For example, James would hex Snivellus with a verbal spell and Sirius would very subtly compound it with a non-verbal, though they didn't do this often, as it gave the appearance that James had erratic control of his magic.

By the beginning of March, James, Sirius and Remus could consistently cast a simple wand-less spell, though it still took a great deal of energy and concentration. They were a little nervous about the jump from a simple spell to the one required for transforming into their animal form, but they decided not to worry about that yet. Remus had figured out that each of them had to focus on drawing in energy in a different way – for James, it was Quidditch; for Remus it was like looking through a library and focusing on that one book he wanted. Sirius had flat out refused to share what he'd imagined, which, of course, made James intensely curious. He would spring the question on him at odd moments, hoping to get Sirius to accidentally say what it was. Unfortunately, the more he did this, the more ready Sirius was with a fake answer.

"Don't worry. You'll get it, Peter," Remus reassured him.

"I don't know. I just don't know what to imagine," Peter whined.

"Have you tried food?" Sirius said, half under his breath.

Peter gave him a scathing look, then mumbled, "Yes."

"What about… What about exploring the castle?" James suggested. "You're really good at that and it gives you control and a destination."

Peter looked at him skeptically, but decided to give it a go. He imagined himself walking down a corridor in the castle. He took in every detail and knew immediately where he was… now to plan a destination. The kitchens seemed as good a place to end up as any… No. The Trophy Room. With each step he took toward his destination, he felt power draw to him from the walls. He concentrated harder, not wanting to get distracted by the new sensation of power. He approached the door to the Trophy Room and entered. He looked at all the different trophies and plaques until he found the one he wanted. It didn't exist in reality, but in his mind, there was a trophy with his name on it. _Accio_. The trophy flew to his outstretched hand. Looking down, he saw that the trophy had turned into a pillow. It was then he became aware of the whooping going on around him. He looked up and his friends were around him, clapping and laughing and congratulating him. Peter grinned with pride and held up the pillow in triumph.

"That calls for a celebration!" James declared. "To the kitchens!"

Sirius lifted the spell off the door of the classroom and then all four crowded under the invisibility cloak and headed for the kitchen – the map safely tucked away in James' robes.

"So what do you visualize?" James nudged Sirius.

"Rainbows and ponies," Sirius deadpanned.

When the guys arrived back at their common room, there were a surprising number of people still awake – most of them older students. End-of-year exams were looming again and the tension was beginning to build, along with the frantic late-night studying.

Lily, Gillette and Stacey were occupying the Marauders' usual places, so they joined the girls around the fireplace, with James and Peter sitting on the floor.

"And what are you lovely ladies up to this evening?" Sirius asked cheerily.

"Gossiping, of course," Stacey replied.

"Oo. Anything good?"

"Well, Wendy is seeing Thomas. Katy caught Ben with Bree. Oh, and Lily broke up with Hayden." Gillette winked at Sirius.

James' head snapped up and he turned to look at Lily. "And why's that?"

"None of your business," Lily said coolly. "By the way, Remus," Lily said shyly. "I never did thank you. You know… for talking with me."

Remus smiled. "You're welcome."

Just then, Rodney walked by and put a note up on the notice board.

"Whatcha got there, Rodney?" James asked.

"Hogsmeade," he answered back tiredly.

"Evans?" James asked with a mischievous grin.

"No," she answered, without bothering to look at James. She stood up and gave the girls hugs. "'Night all."

"Night," everyone answered back.

The next week the guys were back in the same classroom, preparing to put the final touches on the map. Two more spells were required – a concealment charm, of a sort, and a personality charm, which was actually closer to the transfiguration branch of magic, a sort of modified switching spell.

Remus taught each of the Marauders the personality spell which they cast on themselves and then finished by touching the map. Then James cast the concealment charm. The map went blank.

"I hope that worked," James said with a nervous chuckle. Either it worked and the writing was concealed, or he'd just erased the entire map.

"Let's try it," Remus encouraged. They all stared at the map for a few seconds.

"Oh for Pete's sake," Sirius huffed.

"Yes?" Peter added his usual response, which earned him a swat on the back of the head by James.

"Reveal your secrets," Sirius said and tapped the map with the tip of his wand.

At first nothing happened, but then writing appeared.

_Messer Moony would like to remind Sirius that had he not hit his head so often, he might have remembered the correct password. _

_Messer Potter agrees with Messer Moony, but is comforted that his secrets will remain safe as long as Sirius' memory remains the same._

_Messer Pettigrew agrees with Messers Moony and Potter and wants to add that, it's really too bad he can't read the map because, with his sense of direction, he's bound to get lost._

_Messer Black is currently too mortified to insult himself, but thinks it might have been a bad idea to have put so much of himself into the map, as it's obviously had adverse affects on… himself._

"Oh. Ouch." Sirius feigned injury, which was difficult since he was both laughing and excited that the map was working properly. After a minute, the writing faded. "Excellent."

"Okay, now – I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," James said and tapped the map. Immediately writing began to appear and spread like a towel soaking up spilled ink. After a few seconds, the map lay before them, a perfect replica of the floor-plan for the school.

Peter let out a squeak of delight. "Oo, oo. Can I?" he asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Go ahead," Remus answered.

Peter touched his wand to the map and said, "Mischief Managed." The writing on the map retreated into itself and the parchment became blank once more.

The guys whooped and jumped around with delight, giving each other high-fives and a side-arm hug or two.

The excitement of the working map and their success with non-verbal and wand-less magic carried the Marauders to the end of the school year. They had also each received full extra-credit in Defense Against the Dark Arts for their skills in dueling. They felt they had really achieved some major goals this year and were all the more excited for next year to begin. In fact, they wished they could just skip the summer.

- - - - -

A/N – I know that the names are wrong for the map, but remember, they don't have their nicknames yet. There is also something else missing from the map (did you catch what?), so no, they did not really complete it in fourth year – they just think they have… for now.

Also - sorry for the length of the chapter. I seriously contemplated posting the next chapter as well, but that begins year five and, so... I'm makin' y'all wait until Monday. :)

And of course, thank you to all who read and all who review. Thank you also to those who have recommended this story to others. I'm flattered and humbled - and a little nervous about dropping the ball. Thank you all, very much.

Thanks also to my lovely beta, J.A. Carlton, and my editors Mom and mei mei. (Is there really a difference between a beta and an editor?). And now that my A/N is as long as the chapter, I leave you and hope you have a wonderful weekend.

- - - - -

Nonair – Thank you! I've got a few reviews from you now and haven't been able to comment on them yet. I'm glad you still like my take on the boys and their maturing process. I love your attention to detail and the motives behind what they do. I'm glad you see things as fitting in their proper place – that it makes sense, not only in what I've done, but how it fits with what Rowlings has established for the 'verse. And I'm thrilled that not only do the heroes of the story fit, but so do the villains and the boys' reactions to Voldemort and Kreacher, for example. You did very well picking up on how the deaths of the Evanses would affect the sisters.

I like to think that for all of Sirius' silliness and rashness, he had his moments of maturity and caring. I'm glad you enjoyed that bit of insight he had with Gillette.

I find James hard to write because he's so… normal, but I also love that about him. He had absolutely nothing bad happen in his life, yet when push came to shove he was still able to, not only pick a side, but defend it – and others – to the death.

Thank you for the awesome words of encouragement.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 57

James got on the train, the start of the Marauders' fifth year, and wondered what this year would bring. They were so close to becoming animagi, he knew this year would be the year it happened. While the Marauders' Map had been all but completed last year, he had a few ideas to add finishing touches to it. Next to becoming animagi, the most exciting thing about this year was that, over the summer, he had been named captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, since Jenkins and Longbottom had both finished school the year before.

He sat down in their usual compartment and waited for Sirius and Peter to arrive. It was odd to him not to have Remus already waiting on the train for them. Even at Christmas last year, he had been with them, because he'd come home with James. As he sat there, the compartment door slid open.

"Remus?" James asked grinning and standing up to greet his friend.

Remus grinned back, stepping fully into the doorway. That's when James noticed the shiny prefect's badge pinned to his chest. James laughed and shook Remus' hand in congratulations. Sirius came up behind Remus.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise. Remus turned around to show him the prefect's badge. "Oh great," Sirius joked. "Now, not only is Moony our conscience, he's got authority to punish us."

"That's right. So behave," Remus joked. "And don't let me catch you doing anything you shouldn't be doing."

Sirius donned his Cheshire grin and looked at James. "I think he just issued a challenge."

"Right," James laughed. "Don't get caught."

Remus shook his head. "Hey, let Peter know…"

"Let me know what?... And… what are you doing here?" Peter came up behind them on the train.

"Remus is a prefect," James supplied.

"Shiny," Peter replied with a smile. Remus was always the voice of reason in the group, and he wondered how things would change now that Remus could actually get them into trouble. Would he gain control of the group and temper the amount of pranking that went on?

"Anyway, I have to go to the Prefect's cabin. Duty calls. But I'll see you guys later, after my patrol is done."

They watched him go before settling into the cabin. "I wonder who the girl is." Peter said out loud.

"Three guesses." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"How do you know?" James asked.

"Because I know these things… and… because I passed her coming in."

"Who?" Peter asked.

"Evans," James stated, looking to Sirius for confirmation.

Sirius nodded.

"Hey," Gillette entered the guys' compartment. She was followed by Stacey. "Mind if we join you?"

Sirius smiled roguishly and pulled Gillette onto his lap. "Anytime." She smiled back and gave him a hug in greeting, then moved to sit next to him.

"Potter," Stacey greeted James, then nodded in greeting at Sirius and Peter. "So do you know who the new captain is?"

"As a matter of fact I do," James' eyes twinkled in delight.

Sirius groaned in exasperation. Ever since James had been named captain, it was all Sirius heard about - James' plans for the team, wondering who he was going to pick to fill the vacancies, new strategies, and just a hint of self-doubt. That was not something James would share with anyone but his brother, but even the golden boy needed encouragement now and again.

"Really?" Stacey giggled and grinned broadly. When James nodded, she said, "Excellent!" and threw her arms around him in congratulations.

James was a bit startled by the gesture, causing Sirius and Gillette to snicker, but hugged her back.

"You didn't tell me," Peter said, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.

"I hadn't told anyone, yet."

"Sirius knew."

"Well, yeah."

"Oh," Peter glanced at Sirius who, despite groaning earlier, was obviously very proud of James. It shouldn't have surprised him. James and Sirius had always been close, but there were still moments when he envied them and hated Sirius. He was being petty and he knew it, but that only increased his frustration at the situation.

"So where are Patty and Leena?" James glanced at the door of the compartment as if he expected them to suddenly appear, which he hoped they wouldn't, as the compartment would then become very crowded.

Gillette and Stacey exchanged looks, then Gillette said, "They're sitting in another compartment with Hayden."

James frowned. "I thought Evans and Hayden broke up."

"Well, they did," Gillette explained. "But… Leena wants to date Hayden and Hayden's not over Lily, so it's a big mess and… we don't really want to be there when Lily shows up."

Sirius was grinning again, "Does anyone know if Aden is a prefect this year?"

"No, I don't think so. Why?" Stacey answered.

"I have an idea. See if you can get Patty and Leena… and Hayden… into the compartment across from us. I'm going to go find Aden."

James got up and followed Sirius out, "What are you up to?"

"We're gonna have a party… complete with entertainment." When James looked at him confused, Sirius explained, "I want to see what happens when Evans sees that git." Sirius went to the compartment across from where the Marauders' were. "Everyone… Out!" he commanded. Since the Marauders traditionally took a compartment at the back of the train, they were usually surrounded by first-years who had no one with whom to sit. The first-years were terrified of the older, larger boy yelling at them to get out of the compartment, and they all took off.

Sirius then located Aden and her friends and invited them to join their cabin. He told her that way Remus wouldn't have to divide his attention so much between them and her.

James and Sirius arrived back at the two compartments with Aden and her friends. Hayden took one look at James and scowled. "What are you doing here?" Hayden asked.

James was taken aback by Hayden's reaction to his presence. To his knowledge he'd never done anything to him – not really. "Still upset about that little dance, eh?" James joked.

Hayden didn't answer; he just sat down in the opposite compartment with a huff. Leena sat down next to him and whispered something, but he didn't respond.

Remus came around on patrol and spocked his eyebrow when he saw the, now, three compartments that the group was occupying – two wasn't quite enough, so Sirius had intimidated another group of first-years to move. In one compartment were the Marauders, Gillette and Stacey – the latter two traveled most from one compartment to another. In the compartment directly across the corridor from them were Aden and her Ravenclaw friends. And in the compartment to the left of the Ravenclaws were Patty, Leena and Hayden. Remus stuck his head in Aden's compartment. She jumped up and they embraced. When they kissed, the Marauders started clapping and howling. The couple broke apart, and both were laughing and blushing. Leaning back in, Remus whispered something to Aden, who nodded, then he headed to the Marauders' compartment.

"So what are you up to?" Remus squinted his eyes in suspicion.

"Whatever do you mean?" Sirius asked innocently.

"We're all friends here. Just figured we'd all sit together," James added.

"Uh-huh. And," Remus dropped his voice so as not to be overheard, "Hayden?"

"Leena likes him," Peter added.

Remus surveyed his friends, wondering if that was the whole story, but he didn't say anything.

"How long until you can join us?" James asked.

"Well, I'm almost done with my patrol, so… maybe half an hour."

"See you then."

Remus and Lily arrived together. Lily also looked around, mildly suspicious. To the Marauders' surprise, and James' delight, when she saw Hayden, she decided to join them in their compartment. Patty and Hayden looked scandalized that Lily would choose the Marauders over them. Lily gave Patty and Leena an apologetic look, but she was not about to sit with Hayden.

"How are you?" James asked with genuine concern.

Lily sighed. "Glad to be back." She offered James a weak smile.

"Rough summer?" he asked gently.

"Something like that," she answered. She sat for a moment, lost in thought, before excusing herself and leaving the compartment.

James got up to follow her, but Gillette stopped him. "James. No." Gillette had spent many hours this summer comforting her best friend. Lily had mourned the loss of her parents during the school year, but mourned the loss of still more over the summer.

James did not follow, but Hayden did. "Lily, wait up."

"Not now, Hayden," Lily said sounding tired.

"I just want to talk," he said, catching up to her and taking hold of her arm.

James was watching from the door of his compartment.

"There's nothing to talk about. And let me go." Lily tried to pull her arm free, but Hayden had a fairly strong grip on it.

"Hayden!" James warned.

Hayden startled, not realizing they were being watched. He glanced between James and Lily and then James again before letting go and wandering off to find a compartment somewhere else on the train.

Not meeting James' eye, Lily nodded her thanks before continuing on her way.

Returning to his seat, James asked, "Did something happen over the summer?" He continued staring in the direction Lily had gone.

Gillette glanced at Sirius and then looked back at James. She nodded. "Petunia…"

James turned his attention to Gillette. "Petunia's not dead, too, is she?" He sounded horrified at the notion.

Gillette chuckled bitterly. "No. That might have been a kindness. Petunia blames Lily for their parents' death. She's become very… bitter. Treats her horribly; calls her names. It's been a really hard summer for Lily."

Sirius, possibly for the first time ever, felt a connection to Lily. He knew how it felt to be hated by family and blamed for things beyond his control. He subconsciously reached out and took Gillette's hand, as much to support her as seek comfort for himself.

"Well that's just ridiculous," James argued. "It wasn't her fault. How can she say that?"

Remus spoke up. "Look at it from Petunia's point of view. If Lily wasn't a witch, the Death Eaters would never have targeted their family."

"You don't honestly believe…" James started, angry at what Remus was suggesting.

Remus held up his hand. "No. I don't. But I wouldn't be surprised if Lily does, especially after our talk last year. Besides, she's always been one to take on responsibility for others."

"Sound familiar, Moony?" Sirius pointed out. Remus smiled sadly at him.

"Oh I know she does. She as much as said so over the summer. I had hoped she'd stopped blaming herself by the end of last year, but… Petunia brought all that guilt back again – and more. It was one thing for her to believe it, but then when Petunia said what she'd been thinking… It just made it worse," Gillette said.

Remus shook his head, empathizing all too well. "And that's not a feeling that just goes away, either."

"I'm still just glad she wasn't there," Gillette whispered. The others in the compartment all nodded in agreement.

Aden popped her head in the compartment, smiling. "Hey. You guys are being awfully quiet." She glanced around at the sullen faces and her smile faded. "Is everything all right?"

Remus stood up and joined her in the door way. "Yeah," he smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah. Aren't we supposed to be celebrating the start of a new school year?" Peter made a face, as if realizing how odd it was to be celebrating a new year of classes.

"Right you are," Sirius agreed and the mini-party got under way again. Patty and Leena even joined in with everyone else.

Lily came back some time later and said, "Remus, we have to get to the prefects' compartment."

"Right. See you at the feast." He waved to everyone, and gave a quick peck on the cheek to Aden.

"All right… Out!" Sirius commanded for the third time that day, this time directed at the girls in their compartment, only this time it didn't have the desired effect.

They laughed, and Stacey challenged jokingly, "Make us."

"Very well. I'll change with you here," Sirius retorted.

Stacey and Gillette giggled until Sirius actually started disrobing, at which point they fled the cabin. He grinned at James and Peter. James shook his head, but Peter was staring at him in disbelief. Peter thought he'd never get used to Sirius' brazenness.

- - - - -

A/N - For those of you who are curious, the term "shiny," as Peter uses it, is from the most awesome show - Firefly.

I'm not sure how many of you remember, but during, I think it was PoA, Remus was mentioned as being a prefect. Later, however, James was said to have become head boy. Rest assured, this will be resolved.

Thanks again for the many wonderful reviews and words of encouragement. I thank you all. I know life gets busy, especially around the silly season, so thanks for taking the time to drop a line.

And of course, love and much gratitude to Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton.

Nonair - Thank you for the complement on the map creation. I have a feeling the Marauders did quite a few things that Harry never did (and I'm not just talking about bullying). His life was a lot... harder - in some ways at least. Or maybe our beloved Marauders just had different coping mechanisms.

You also picked up very well on Peter's motivation (his wandless-magic) and how it helps shape him into the man he becomes. Thanks for that.

Wow! Awesome complement about comparing my map to Rowlings'. Thank you. :)

Thanks again for the lovely review.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer - Yeah... still don't own, certainly not making any money, but getting a lot of joy out of it anyway.

Chapter 58

The start of term was fairly typical, though many students were not only glad to be reunited with their friends, they were relieved to be back at school where they were confident they were safe.

It was announced that Professor Ogden was no longer the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, much to the dismay of most of the students. She had been accepted into the Auror training program over the summer and, so, was moving on from teaching. Their new professor was one Mr. Samuel Whistler. There was a polite round of applause for the new professor, and the feast went on.

Afterwards, while Remus and Lily led the first-years to the Gryffindor tower, the Marauders followed behind imparting wisdom and giving "helpful" hints.

"Remember when Peter got caught on the trick stair," Sirius started.

"Yeah," James chuckled. "Was stuck there for nearly the whole day."

"At least I didn't get trapped behind the painting on the fifth floor," Peter countered.

"Right, well. That's only because Peeves was chasing me down, lobbing various parts of a suit of armor at my head," Sirius continued.

"Oh. Remember that toilet that exploded on me? I still think Mirtle had something to do with that."

"Just goes to show you, ghosts have feelings too," Sirius said.

The Marauders continued hinting at various "terrors" throughout the castle until the first-years were practically bug-eyed and sweating in fear.

"Do you mind?" Lily said angrily. Turning her attention back to the first-years, she said comfortingly, "Honestly, the castle's not that bad. These dolts are just magnets for the weird and improbable."

Once they had been sent to their dorms, Lily turned on Remus, who had been smirking through most of the journey. "Would you please keep your friends under control?"

"Teachers haven't been able to do that. Why do you think I'd have any more success?" Remus wasn't sure if he should be laughing at the idea he might actually be able to control his friends, or upset that Lily would even make him try… or perhaps guilty because he knew that, even if he could control them, he wouldn't.

Lily sighed. "I don't know. Hope springs eternal, I guess."

The Marauders and Gillette and Stacey had taken seats in the chairs and on the couch by the fire. Lily came over and squeezed herself between Gillette and Stacey.

"Are you joining us?" Gillette asked happily.

"For a few minutes," Lily leaned back and closed her eyes. "I have rounds tonight."

"You look beat," Remus said. "Why don't I take them tonight? You can do mine sometime."

"Yeah?" Lily opened her eyes. "That would be great. Thanks Remus." She struggled rather comically to disengage herself from the too-tightly packed couch, before James got up and lent her a hand. "Thanks. Goodnight."

A round of "night" followed her up the stairs. Stacey and Gillette soon followed, leaving the Marauders alone.

"You know, I never did get a chance to find out about what you all did over the summer," Remus stated.

James answered first. "Mine was pretty normal. Oh! My parents are thinking of buying a beach house."

"Very nice!" Sirius said.

"I've never been to the beach," Peter commented.

"You'd love it," Remus said. "It's very relaxing." James and Sirius looked at Remus as if he had suddenly sprouted a second head. "What?"

"Relaxing?" Sirius asked. "Honestly, mate, you have got to learn how to have a good time."

"And I thought we'd come so far with him," James sniffed, wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye. Sirius nodded in agreement, frowning gravely.

"Shut it. So what about you, Sirius?"

"Well, I was sent to live with the ever-so-friendly Malfoys…"

"Ew!" Peter interjected.

"Yes, exactly. Actually it could have been a lot worse. I was treated pretty much like a slave; and they use magic as punishment. I think they hoped to whip me into shape, so to speak… but really…" Sirius chuckled. "I'll tell you what made it bearable, and even fun – well, two things really. I met an odd little house elf named Dobby. He's a young elf, still rather impressionable. He's being groomed to become Lucius' house elf when he marries Narcissa." There were grunts and a "huh?" at this statement. "Oh, forgot to tell you that. Yes, Narcissa and Lucius are to be married. Yippy," Sirius said less then enthusiastically. "So I did my best to corrupt him - Dobby. I even got him to agree to help me perform a few pranks. And the other thing – the Malfoys aren't nearly as paranoid as my family. So I was able to get away with more and even sneak out on occasion. My poor parents… What will they think of next that will fail to get me to conform?"

James had frowned momentarily with the mention of punishment. With all of the letters and times that he and Sirius had chatted, Sirius had never mentioned being punished for anything. When James exchanged a quick glance with Remus, he knew that Remus had caught that part of the summer rundown, and he also hadn't known about any punishments. But as Sirius went on, he was so casual about the summer, even smiling and joking about it, that James let the information slide – for now.

"Oh, and I happened to notice that Andromeda had been blasted off the family tapestry. When I asked about it, I found out she's pregnant, so I guess my parents figured that meant she's going to stay with Ted and it was time to remove her from the family line."

"She's pregnant? Really?" James asked smiling. "She and Ted Tonks were married last Christmas, right?"

"Yeah." Andromeda had sent Sirius a letter last year telling him about the marriage. She apologized for not inviting him, but she figured he wouldn't have been allowed to attend anyway.

"Good for her. Tell her congratulations… from all of us," Remus added.

"What about you, Peter?" Sirius asked

"Mmm. Nothing exciting. Rather boring actually. Remus?"

"I, uh… I went home… Briefly." There was a stunned silence following this statement, and the others waited for Remus to continue. "It was… weird – going home. Madam Pomfrey had gone there last summer, after… Well... and cleaned things up a bit. Then she sealed the house to intruders and to keep everything safe until I decided to return. She went with me. I decided I'm going to keep it for now. I'm going to need a place to go to transform once I'm out of school, so…" Remus looked around at his friends. They were all giving him that pitying look that he hated so much. "Would you guys say something?"

"Uh…I think you made a smart decision," James said, having no clue what to say.

"You have a whole house to yourself!" Sirius added, his face breaking into a grin. "Excellent! I say turn it into a bachelor pad – better yet, the Marauders' pad… Parties every night… Food. Fun. Girls. Eh?" Sirius nodded enthusiastically as he imagine a future home for the Marauders.

"Okay, come on back to us now, Sirius," Remus laughed, nudging Sirius's leg with his foot.

Peter, who had been lost in his own thoughts, shivered, "I don't think I could go home if I knew my mum wouldn't be there… let alone died there." The mood immediately swung back to the morose.

"Yeah. It felt very empty."

The group fell into silence for a few minutes, before Sirius spoke again. "All right. How much longer until we're done with the transfiguration thing?" Sirius asked.

James laughed, thankful for the change of subject, "My thoughts exactly. Remus, when are you free to practice some more?"

"We can start tomorrow but, really, you guys don't need me. I don't have to learn this last bit," Remus answered.

"Tomorrow night then," James announced. "And we want you there. We're in this together. Besides, if we all transform, you're the only one who will be able to… un-transform us if things don't work out."

"Or get Madam Pomfrey," Sirius muttered.

Remus shrugged. "Okay." But he was thankful for his friends' insistence on keeping him involved.

"Oh, I was thinking about the map, too," James spoke up again. "I was wondering… would it be possible to give the location of every individual in the castle. That way we'd know where the teachers and prefects are so we can avoid them. No offense."

"None taken," Remus smiled. "And that should be doable. We'd have to adjust the spell slightly to account for changes in staff and students as time goes on."

"Excellent!" Sirius chimed in.

"Can you believe it's year five?" James commented absently.

"Can you believe it's year five and we're still not done with the map or… the other thing?" Sirius asked, his tone somewhere between real and joking frustration.

"Well, we're so close. I don't know how we wouldn't finish both this year," Peter said confidently.

"Right. So we begin again tomorrow," Remus said with finality.

Only, the guys hadn't counted on the new volume of classwork with which they were about to be hit.

The first week back was rather sobering for all of the fifth years. Almost every teacher began class with the same speech about this being a very important year for them. It was the year they would take their OWLs and, as such, determine the course of their future study and, ultimately, their careers. In preparation for these very important exams, homework was piled high and thick.

The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was interesting. Most of what the class did was book work. That was actually good in the eyes of the fifth-years, since much of what would normally have been assigned as homework, could be done in class. But there was a secondary assignment. Professor Whistler had put forth a challenge. Each class was told they had to defend a very important magical object - a large cement egg. The class was then to come up with a defensive strategy to keep said egg from being stolen. The classes were given until the end of October to come up with the best possible defense they could.

The hardest part of this project was getting all the students in a class together to discuss it and what work had been done. Lily quickly took control of the fifth-year Gryffindor class and determined that they should meet once a week in an abandoned classroom. That was the best way to ensure privacy. She was smart, academic, good at delegating, and everyone was willing to listen to her. Remus, Sirius, James and Lily quickly became the heart of the group. Remus and Lily were excellent at research and coming up with ideas for defenses, while Sirius and James pointed out ways around the defenses, if they could, thus ensuring the most solid defense possible.

As an added bonus, most of the fifth-years worked so well together that they started sharing the classwork load for other classes as well. It wasn't that each student didn't do his or her own share, but they collaborated quite a bit where possible. This was especially helpful to Lily and Remus who had prefect duties, and James who, as Quidditch captain, needed time for practices and planning.

In the meantime, two weeks into the school year, James watched over the hopefuls trying out for the team. He set up skirmishes between those trying out and those already on the team. He paid close attention to reactions – how upset were they if their team lost, or if they made a mistake. How quickly did they recover? He did not want kids who would take the loss too hard and display unsportsmanlike conduct. On the other hand, he wanted players who cared a lot about the game and would try hard and be willing to sacrifice to win. He obviously was also looking for skill and potential as well as quick thinking and the ability to adjust to new situations. He even watched how they interacted away from the Quidditch pitch. He spoke with such confidence and handled himself with such skill, that no one questioned his ability to lead the team.

The returning team consisted of James – chaser and captain; Jules – seeker; Stacey – keeper; Jones – chaser; and Gudgeon – beater. James added Andy Johnson, a fourth-year, as chaser and Anna Timms, a second-year, as beater. This was slightly unusual, since beaters were usually the larger players on the team and both of Gryffindor's were smallish; but James had been highly impressed with her skills with the bat and getting the bludger to go where she wanted it. When he asked her how she had learned to handle the bludger and bat, she explained she had played softball for as long as she could remember, and it wasn't unlike hitting a ball with a bat.

James confided in Sirius later that he was more than a little nervous. He didn't honestly think he could pull out a winning team this year since he and Jules had been playing the longest, and both of them were only going on their third year. But he figured that, by his seventh year, the entire team would have been playing together for nearly three years – although Jules was a sixth-year and he'd have to replace her in his seventh year.

Sirius assured him that as long as he tried his best, no one would be too upset with him. "And don't worry. We, your dear friends, won't let anyone insult you or bother you. That's our job," Sirius grinned.

"Gee thanks. That's so reassuring." But it really was. James knew he had the support of those that mattered most to him.

With everything going on, and trying to make adjustments to new schedules and responsibilities, it wasn't until the third week back that the guys had an evening in which they could get away and explore. It was a Friday night and the full moon was the next day. The guys sat in the common room waiting for Remus to get back from his usual Friday night rendezvous with Aden.

Sirius was looking over the map. "What do you suppose this room is for?"

"The Room of Requirement?" James asked

"Yeah, I noticed that," Peter added. "I don't remember ever seeing a room there."

"I say we check it out," Sirius suggested.

"But we have to practice… You know," James said.

"Like Remus said, we can always practice that without him. I say we do some exploring. If it turns out to be nothing, we can still go work out that other thing."

At that point, Remus walked into the common room. He had a sort of wistful look about him. The others watched him with amused expressions as he plopped down onto the couch next to Sirius. "Do you know we've been together for over a year now?"

"Wow!" Sirius said, shaking his head.

James asked, "Did you celebrate?" At this, Sirius and Peter sat up a little straighter, waiting for details.

"No. I don't really know what to do," Remus said, looking crestfallen.

"Huh, that's too bad," Sirius said. "Well, ready for some exploring?"

Remus cast Sirius a slightly annoyed glance. "I see your attention span improved over the summer."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… Let's go." Sirius stood up, trying to speed things along.

Sighing, Remus stood up to leave. "Honestly, you're worse than James sometimes."

"What?" both James and Sirius asked in unison.

"What's that supposed to mean?" James asked, also standing up and heading for the portrait hole. Peter followed behind.

"Nothing," Remus said, realizing that he was being a little more touchy than usual. "Sorry… I think I'm just cranky."

"That time of month, eh?" Sirius grinned and gently pushed Remus toward the portrait hole.

"Shut it!" Remus growled.

Sirius and James started snickering. Remus turned around and started toward the boys dorm.

James grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around, then directed him toward the portrait hole. "We're sorry, Moony. Come on. No more jokes about you, PMS-ing." At this, Sirius burst out laughing.

Peter looked uncomfortable with the whole conversation. Not only was he uncomfortable with the possibility of others finding out about Remus' lycanthropy, but he didn't like discussing… feminine issues.

Before Remus could turn around again, which would have been difficult with James pushing him out of the common room, Sirius, who had calmed down enough to form words, asked, "So what did you have in mind. I mean… if you could do anything, how would you want to celebrate your one year of bliss?"

Bringing the subject back to what Remus had wanted to talk about, relaxed him enough to walk with the others without needing extra incentive. "I don't know. Something romantic. Music, dinner, just the two of us… I don't know. How does one normally celebrate a one year anniversary?"

"Well, considering you're the first one to reach that mark, we can't really help you," Sirius joked.

"What would Aden like?" Peter asked thoughtfully.

"That's an excellent question," James complimented Peter, who smiled and blushed slightly at the praise, causing Sirius to roll his eyes.

Remus thought about the question for a while before his thoughts were interrupted by Peter. "It's not here. The Map must be wrong."

"Impossible," Sirius said. But sure enough, while the room appeared on the map, there was no door, or any indication at all, that the room existed. James even walked up to the wall and banged on it a few times. The others searched the hall for a secret lever or entrance.

After a few minutes, they all gathered around the map again. "Well, how do we get in?" James asked.

"If the room even…" Peter started, but he was cut off when words appeared on the map.

Right next to the Room of Requirement, a small rectangle, like a dialogue box in a muggle comic strip, appeared. "What do you require?"

"I don't get it," Sirius said, scratching his head.

Remus started pacing, as he often did when trying to solve a problem. He was muttering to himself as he walked down the corridor a short way, came back to the group, then walked away again.

Sirius was watching Remus and was about to make a comment when he noticed a door appear out of nowhere across the hall from them. "Blimey."

The other Marauders looked at Sirius, then followed his gaze and saw the door.

"That wasn't here a minute ago, right?" Peter asked.

James, whose mouth was hanging open in disbelief, shook his head slowly.

Remus nervously walked up to the door and put his hand on the doorknob. "Shall we?" The others joined him at the door before he opened it.

They stepped inside and discovered the perfect room. It had everything they needed to study magic and practice spells; and, upon examining the books, Remus saw that there were rare titles that he had not found in the school library, all having to do with becoming an animagus.

Sirius was also looking around at the volumes of books that lined only one wall of the room. His eyes immediately rested on a volume dealing with occlumency and legilimency. He fingered the spine and a chill ran through his body. "Does this strike any of you as odd?"

"Which part?" Remus snarked. "The room that appeared out of nowhere, or the fact that it's perfectly suited for the four of us?"

In addition to the books, there was a table with various snack foods on it. Chocolate was stored on another shelf with a few minor potions – obviously in case of minor magical mishaps. There was a dueling mat along the wall opposite the bookshelves, and even a desk full of supplies for doing classwork.

"Well, this is what we required… I wonder…" James said thoughtfully.

"What?" Peter asked.

"Nothing. So, shall we get started?"

The guys agreed that, since they were all doing wand-less magic, at least somewhat, they were going to move on to the spells involved in the animagi process. Each of the spells had to be performed only once, but in a specific order. And there was one spell that was repeated before each of the other spells. Remus thought this spell was used so that after the first transformation, the process could be repeated at will, without having to duplicate the entire process again.

Time moved surprisingly quickly. While Peter, James and Sirius worked on pronunciation, with occasional input from Remus, he glanced through several of the books on the shelves. He found one on map making, which made him chuckle since it was a little superfluous now, and he found mention of a locator spell. He wondered if they could alter the locator spell and use that to keep track of all of the people in the castle.

At one in the morning, they decided it was time to head back to their dorm. When they left the room, the door immediately disappeared.

"Hold on," James said. "I want to see something." Concentrating very hard on his need for sleep, James stared at the wall. When nothing happened, he decided to imitate Remus. He traveled up and down the corridor. The third time he passed the room, the door appeared in the wall. When he opened it, he smiled. "You guys have got to check this out."

Curious, the others stepped forward. Collectively, their eyes widened in shock at what they saw. The room appeared to be much smaller than when they had entered it last time. Right in the middle, taking up the majority of the space in the room, was a huge round bed - the sheets were satin, the pillows and comforter were down-filled. The lights were just bright enough to see the bed, but dim enough to make sleeping comfortable.

James ran into the room and dove onto the bed. He rolled over and sighed contentedly. "You guys have got to try this!"

Sirius was next to dive in, while Remus and Peter walked in and sat on the edge of the bed.

Lying down, Sirius commented, "Well that was just mean, James." Chuckling, James asked why. "Because why on earth would I ever want to sleep in the dorm again?"

"Well, for one, because we're supposed to. I know how convincing a reason that is for you, but…We also don't know who else knows about this room. So one night while you're snoozing away, someone else may well walk in on you." Remus answered logically, if a bit sarcastically.

"Oh Moony," Sirius sighed. "You do know how to suck the joy out of things, don't you?"

"It's my duty as prefect," he deadpanned.

The Marauders left the room, Sirius giving a final mournful glance back at the room. "Why a bed?" Sirius asked abruptly.

"Because I was thinking about what I required, which was sleep."

After a minute of silence, Sirius said, "I wonder what would happen if someone was in the room and somebody else required something entirely different. Would the room change?"

"Mmm," Remus groaned noncommittally.

"Moony?" Sirius tried to get his friend's attention.

When Remus glanced over at Sirius, he saw that Sirius was wearing his Cheshire grin again, causing Remus to flinch inwardly. "What?" he asked warily.

"I was just thinking about your anniversary." Sirius glanced at James, who was also suddenly smiling.

"Perfect!" James agreed with whatever Sirius had not yet spoken.

"And?" Remus continued in his guarded tone of voice.

"You know, for being the smart one, you're kind of slow sometimes," Sirius commented. "The Room!" Sirius gestured over his shoulder indicating the Room of Requirement, even though they were no longer near it.

"What… Oh," Remus' wary expression turned slowly into a smile. "Yes. That could work."

"Atta boy." Sirius patted Remus on the back. Sirius loved being part of the magical world. The things they could do seemed almost limitless. He wondered vaguely if things would be this easy when they were no longer sheltered in these enchanted halls.

- - - - -

A/N – This chapter was written before Deathly Hallows came out, so I did not know, at the time, that the room would not conjure food. I would have changed it, but it affects the next chapter as well, so I'm leaving it. Hope y'all will forgive that minor detail.

Once again, thanks to all who take the time to leave me a little (or large :) ) review. I appreciate it. And I love my editors, too - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Thank you, thank you, and thank you some more.

Nonair - I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the train scene. Who knew that would be such a fun setting? Thank you for the encouragement with Peter as well. He's still a tricky one as he moves from friend to foe (though, not for quite a while yet, of course). But to make it believable is my goal. Oo, I think you pegged Gillette pretty well there. Family is important, but it's much more fluid to her than to others. It's part of what, in my opinion, makes her a good fit for Sirius.

Wow. Year five. More than halfway through their school career and yet barely halfway through this part of the story. Hee hee hee hee.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 59

The next Friday, Remus and Lily exchanged rounds so that he would have the night free. He asked Aden to meet him in the corridor outside the Room of Requirement. From the directions he'd given her, and the curious look on her face, he guessed that she did not know of the existence of the room. He arrived early, so the door to the room would already be there when she arrived.

He conjured a lovely bouquet of wild flowers for her then, hearing her footsteps, he leaned against the wall, waiting for her to appear. When she arrived, she saw the flowers and, blushing slightly, she smiled, her eyes sparkling in the torchlight of the corridor.

"You look lovely," Remus smiled, extending his hand to give the flowers to her. He then leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"What's the occasion?"

"Well, we never officially celebrated being together for a year, so… It's a little late, but… Happy Anniversary."

"Wow… I'm… touched," Aden said genuinely. She had assumed, since he had not even mentioned them being together for a year, that he had either forgotten or it wasn't a big deal to him. Part of her didn't really think that either was true and so she had been curious that he hadn't even mentioned it. "What are we going to do to celebrate?"

"Well, let's find out," Remus said mysteriously. In truth, he hadn't had time to check the room to see what it would conjure up, since she had arrived earlier than he'd expected. He opened the door, butterflies fluttering in his stomach regarding what he would find.

The room was set up similar to a studio apartment in that different parts of the room had different functions. In one corner, there was a small elegant table set with two place settings, with a single-flower vase in the middle. Next to the table was a cart that had their food and drink for the evening which consisted of a pitcher of butterbeer and several covered dishes.

In another corner of the room was a fireplace with a couch in front of it. On one of the end tables by the couch were two photo albums.

Aden explored the room and, when she noticed the albums, she asked, "How did you get this?"

Remus walked over to her and saw the album she was holding. He wasn't entirely sure if the album was the real one or just a duplicate copied by the room, but he chuckled nervously at the power of the room. "Magic."

Remus saw, sitting on another small table in a third corner of the room, a wizard radio. He turned it on and found some appropriate music, letting it play softly so as to enhance the mood, but not interrupt conversation.

"Shall we?" he asked, gesturing to the food.

Aden smiled and nodded. Remus even remembered to pull the chair out for her and scoot her back to the table.

"This is perfect." Aden looked around the room in amazement.

They chatted through the entire meal, both completely at ease and enjoying the change of pace. They joked about what the rest of Hogwarts was having for dinner and what they'd be doing tonight. Once dinner was done, they moved to the couch.

"So," Remus started, and grabbed her photo album. "Will you show me?"

Aden beamed. Remus had known that family was important to her, but watching the way she smiled as she talked about the members of her family, he couldn't help but smile, too. Her eyes danced as she recalled funny stories to share with him about her parents and siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. They sat close enough for him to see the pictures, but he found himself much more interested in watching her.

Once they had finished with her album, she set it down and asked him to bring over the other album. As soon as he picked it up, he filled with trepidation. He hadn't really looked at his album until then and hadn't realized it was the one his mother kept. He held onto it for a moment, not sure he wanted – or could – share the pictures.

"Why don't you tell me more stories of your family?" Remus suggested.

Aden's eyebrows knit together, though a trace of her smile was still on her lips. "Oh come on. I showed you mine," she laughed gently.

"Family is very important to you?" It was more of a statement then a question.

"Yes. You know it is."

Remus sighed and handed her the album. He was surprised to find that it was actually rather easy to talk about the pictures. It was pleasant for him to remember his past and the happy moments he shared with his family. He found himself sharing stories with Aden with the same kind of warmth and affection she had shown when speaking of her family.

When they were finished going through his album, he was actually sad to have come to the end. He might have dwelled on the fact that there would be no more pictures of his family to complete it, but Aden spoke, intruding on his thoughts.

"Remus, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," he answered, though the thought crossed his mind that he wasn't going to like the question. People don't normally ask if they can ask a question when it's a run-of-the-mill question or one that's easy to answer.

"At the beginning of your family album, you have… relatives – grandparents, aunts, uncles, even a couple cousins." Remus could already see where the question was going and he shifted uncomfortably. "After your… fourth birthday, it's really just you and your parents." Remus nodded. Having expected more of an explanation than that, Aden asked plainly, "Why?"

"Well… some of them died. Some of them moved away…We moved, too."

"And you never saw any of them? I mean, there are cousins I'm not around often, but that makes get-togethers that much more… special. We're sure to have a camera around."

Remus stood up. He didn't realize he had started pacing until he turned and almost walked into Aden.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Aden asked. Remus nodded and, hand-in-hand, they left the cozy comfort of the room, walked through the castle, and out onto the grounds. The night was breezy and cold, but they didn't notice, still feeling the effects of the room, and both of them were lost in thought. They made their way down to the lake and stood looking out at the water. There were soft ripples and the sound of the water lapping on the shore.

Finally, Aden asked quietly "What happened?"

Remus sighed. "I want to tell you, but…"

"Then tell me."

Remus turned toward Aden, taking both her hands in his. He pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. "You're very patient. And I can't… thank you enough for that. It's more than I…"

Aden let go of one of Remus' hands and put a finger to his lips. "Don't. I know what you're going to say, and don't. You're welcome… for the patience. But… I don't know how much longer I can wait. It's not even the waiting that bothers me… Really. It's the knowing you don't trust me."

"I do…" Remus began to protest, but was cut off.

"No. You don't. And I don't know how to prove to you that you can. You… You practically told me you have some kind of… disease. And I'm still here. Doesn't that tell you anything?"

Yes. She was right. She was still around. And he knew that holding onto the secret was driving her away. He'd lose her no matter what. If he kept silent, she'd leave. If he told her she… might leave – would probably leave. A voice that sounded oddly like Sirius' reminded Remus that if she wasn't given the choice, she could never say yes to staying. Remus nodded at Aden, then stepped away from her, closer to the water's edge. "I hate the moon," he said quietly.

"What?" Aden asked and came to stand next to him. He could feel her staring at him, but he kept looking forward.

"I hate the moon."

Aden sighed. She was confused by the abrupt change of subject, but part of her was screaming that Remus was trying to share something important, so she held her tongue. When he didn't continue, she asked, "Why?"

"It's my curse." When Aden continued to stare at him, Remus couldn't help but marvel that his friends were such freaks. Being a werewolf was so unthinkable in "normal" society, that even staring at the glaring evidence, most wizards would literally have to watch someone transform and then be bitten to understand and believe what they were seeing.

Turning to face Aden, he said, "I'm a werewolf."

Aden remained frozen where she was. After thirty seconds or so, she dropped her head and started walking away.

"Aden?"

Half turning back to him, she said angrily, "Remus! All I asked for was the truth. Besides… that's not something to joke about."

"Aden." Remus walked up to her and grabbed her by the arms so she was facing him and couldn't walk away. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but he couldn't just let her leave, either. "Aden. I'm not joking. Why do you think I'm gone for two days every month? Why do you think my friends call me 'Moony'? Why do you think… Why do you think I tried to keep you away – afraid I might hurt you?"

With each word Remus spoke, Aden's eyes grew wider and she started shaking her head. "No," she whispered.

"Yes." Remus had never been so simultaneously terrified and relieved all at the same time. The secret was out – at least to her – but would she run? He waited.

Aden raised her hands and gripped Remus' arms tightly. In a breathy voice, she said, "I think I need to sit." And with that, her legs buckled underneath her.

Remus caught her and lowered her gently to the ground. He lowered himself to a seated position, the action made somewhat awkward by the fact that she still had his arms in a vice-grip. "Aden?... Aden, my arms…"

She suddenly released him. "Sorry," she said in a barely audible voice. She had yet to make eye contact, Remus noted. "How did it happen?"

Remus told her the story, at least what he could remember and what his parents had filled in later. This was the start of a question/answer period.

"What about your parents? Was that…" she couldn't seem to finish the question.

"Me?" Remus frowned. She nodded and he said, "No. That was Fenrir – coming to collect… me." His voice was filled with both venom and pain at the name Fenrir.

Aden instinctively reached out and put her hand on his. Remus stared at her hand, then turned his over to hold it, his thumb caressing her hand.

He looked up, afraid of what he might see there. She was not smiling, but she no longer held that glazed-over, fearful expression. Their eyes locked.

"Happy Aniversary." Remus joked. Aden let out a small chuckle, but quickly returned to her silence.

"I need to know you're not going to tell any one." Remus' voice was calm; he was anything but.

"No. No, I won't tell anyone." Aden's voice sounded strange and Remus couldn't quite place what was behind it.

Remus reached out and turned Aden's face to his. She flinched slightly at the touch. Dropping his hand, Remus gave her a questioning look. "Aden?"

She seemed to shake herself from her internal reverie. Blinking, she looked Remus in the eyes again. "I'm sorry," she breathed. She leaned forward and touched her forehead to his. "I'm sorry. This is just… a lot to take in."

Comforted by the familiar gesture, Remus smiled a little. "Yeah."

"Can we go back inside?"

"Yeah, sure." Remus figured she might want some time alone to sort through everything. He was a little nervous about whether she would actually keep her silence or not, but he was more nervous about whether or not she would remain with him or walk away.

Once inside, he headed toward the corridor that would take them to the Ravenclaw tower.

"No. Sorry. I meant the other room." Aden smiled. Remus' heart gave a momentary leap for joy and he led her back to the Room. He was surprised to find that the door was still there, waiting for their return. When they entered the room, everything was as it had been, except the plates had been cleared from the table.

Aden shivered slightly. The cold had been all but forgotten in the tenseness of what had occurred, and now, back inside the warmth of the castle, the effects of the otherwise-forgotten cold could be clearly felt. Remus picked up two warm mugs of butterbeer and handed one to Aden, who was already sitting on the couch.

They sat side-by-side, not really speaking. Instead of simply holding hands, their fingers would occasionally entwine, only to pull apart again, as their fingers played and danced with each other. It was surprisingly comfortable, all things considered.

After a while, Remus spoke. "Why are you still here?"

Aden looked over at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean 'Why are you still here?' I'm not complaining, mind you," he smiled gently. "But if you just wanted to think about what was said tonight… You could do that in your dorm, right? Why stay with me?"

Aden turned so that she was no longer sitting next to him, facing the same direction, but she was now next to him with her whole body facing his. She studied Remus' face for a minute. "Because, when I do decide to talk about what I'm thinking, you're pretty much the only one I can talk to. Besides," Aden blushed, "no one makes me feel like you do. And I need that right now."

Remus smiled and leaned in to kiss her. She backed away ever so slightly, immediately regretting it as she saw hurt flash through his eyes. He started to pull back and she put her hand behind his head, preventing him from moving. They both leaned in this time and kissed – tentatively at first, then more fully, intensity increasing as the seconds ticked on.

- - - - -

Seven o'clock on Saturday morning, Remus heard Sirius' voice in his head. "Moooonyyyy." Remus groaned. Suddenly, the covers were pulled off of him and he groaned again, this time curling into a ball and covering his head with his pillow.

"Moooonyyyyyy," Sirius said more loudly. Remus could hear in his voice the maniacal grin Sirius was wearing.

"Go away." That was what Remus said, but it was too muffled to make out clearly.

"Moony! Come on. You're going to be late for class." Sirius barked at him.

Remus sat up and started getting dressed. He was vaguely aware of snickering in the background, but since he hadn't really opened his eyes yet, he wasn't sure where it was coming from.

"We'll be waiting for you in the common room," Sirius said. Unbeknownst to Remus, Sirius winked at James, who had wrapped his arm around his own head to keep his laughter hidden from the obviously delirious Moony.

When Remus finally stumbled down the stairs, he took in the sight of his three best friends. Peter shifted from one foot to another, watching Remus all too closely. James looked as though he was the cat who had swallowed a canary. Only Sirius looked normal – well, for Sirius anyway.

"Uh… Moony?" Sirius casually started. "Why do you have your bag?"

"For class." This statement dropped James to the floor in fits of hysterical laughter. Peter had also started laughing, while Sirius just smirked at Remus. It was then that Remus noticed the other three did not have their bags. He further recalled that he had been out very late last night because it was a Friday night. Remus' eyes squinted at Sirius. "Sirius," Remus growled, "start running."

Sirius heeded the warning and took off immediately, cackling like a madman as he went.

Turning his heated gaze on the other two laughing buffoons, he said, "You too."

Peter immediately took off. James had a little trouble getting started, as he tripped on his own feet trying to get up. Once the three had left, Remus smiled in satisfaction. Then he went back up the stairs, deposited his bag on the floor and crawled back into bed. Ah, blessed peace.

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews. And a cookie to Fifth Business for finding the mis-spelling of Myrtle's name. (Sorry Myrtle; thanks Fifth. According to HPL, Myrtle is with a "y" - to which I have to say - I think Rowlings is just trying to mess with me. Is it with a "u" in England? And why not use an "i.") Thanks also to my beloved betas - Mom, mei mei and J.A. Carlton.

Nonair - I'm glad to hear I'm still keeping in character. Truly, that is one of my biggest concerns. That, and showing their development into the men they become. Thanks again for the many kind words and your ability to pick out details and make connections as the characters grow and change. Thank you.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 60

After breakfast, the guys walked back to the dorm, curious as to what became of Remus. They found him asleep in his bed and decided to allow him to stay there, undisturbed, not wanting to tempt fate and risk life and limb trying to wake a cranky werewolf.

They opted, instead, to go back to the Room of Requirement and continue working on becoming animagi. As they progressed through the spells, their confidence waned slightly regarding how well they were performing the necessary magic. It seemed the farther they progressed, the less they noticed any outward signs that anything had happened at all. But since they were all still experiencing the same things - even if that was nothing - they convinced themselves they were still on the right track. It was better than thinking all three of them were completely failing.

There was a spell to make sure the transformation was painless. There was one to make sure they kept enough of their minds so that they would be able to return to human form. There was even a spell to make sure their clothes and personal items transformed with them; that way, when they transformed back into human form, they would not be naked and wand-less.

By the time lunch rolled around, they were ready to perform the last spell. All three agreed, however, that they wanted Remus around for that, since he had the most practice with the counterspell, so they headed to lunch.

Since Remus did not show up for lunch, James grabbed a few sandwiches and carried them back to the common room for him.

"Who's going to go wake him up?" James asked, after they had settled into their usual seats.

"There's no way I'm going." Peter shook his head, his eyes widening at the prospect of angering Remus again.

"Coward," Sirius muttered. "I'll go." He hopped over the back of the couch and bound up the stairs. "Moony! Wake up," he called loudly.

Remus groaned in his sleep.

"Foood," Sirius said, trying to tempt his friend out of bed. Remus grunted, but sat up. "We'll be in the common room." Remus nodded, bleary-eyed, and headed for the bathroom.

Sirius bound back down the stairs and hopped back over the couch, landing in his previous seat. "He's on his way," he grinned.

Just then, Jules, the Gryffindor seeker, walked by with her friends, all of whom were coming back from lunch.

"Hey Jules," James called. "See if you can get the other girls from the team. Tell them to meet us outside in 30 minutes." Jules raised an eyebrow, but she nodded and went up to the dorms. "I need a way to be able to contact the whole team…" James thought aloud to himself.

Remus plopped groggily onto the couch next to Sirius and held his hand out for the promised food. James smirked and handed him the sandwiches.

"So…" Sirius grinned broadly. "Had a good time last night?"

Remus nodded, then abruptly stopped all movement, including chewing, as it dawned on him what happened the previous night.

"What?" James asked, exchanging a concerned glance with Sirius.

Remus looked around, as if he had only just seen them, then hurriedly finished chewing and swallowed. In a hushed voice he said, "I told her."

"Told her what?" James asked slowly, having some idea what was coming next.

"I told her about… you know… my furry problem." Remus seemed a little stunned by what he was saying.

"And?" Sirius asked, his full attention on his friend.

"She… was… surprised. But, okay with it, I guess. I mean, we're still dating, anyway." The more Remus talked, the more relaxed he became, remembering what had transpired.

The other Marauders let out a collective sigh.

"And she's not going to tell anyone," James stated, looking for confirmation.

Remus shook his head. "No. She's not going to say anything."

"Is that why you were out until five this morning?" Sirius asked, his grin back in place.

"It wasn't five," Remus argued.

"It was five. I know. I was awake."

"Huh." Remus took another bite of sandwich.

"Well? What happened?" James persisted, trying to get more details.

"The Room was great. We had dinner and there was a couch in front of a fireplace. We looked at family photos…" Remus paused here, lost in the memory.

Sirius whacked him on the arm. "And?!"

Jolted back to the present by the whack, Remus continued. "And… We went for a walk by the lake. I told her about… you know. Then we went back to the Room."

"And did what? Eh?" Sirius wiggled his eyebrows.

"Mmm… Not gonna tell you… On second thought, I don't want you besmudging fair lady's name. We… kissed… for a little and then fell asleep. That's it. And no! Before you ask - no details."

Sirius pouted. "You are no fun."

"Consider it payback for this morning. Speaking of… What did you all do this morning?"

James spoke up, "We're up to the last part."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? How did it go?"

James glanced at the others. "We're not sure, really. But we wanted you to be there for the last step."

Remus nodded. "Okay. When are you going to do that?"

"Why not now?" Peter asked.

"No," James answered. "I want to get together with the team. But you're all welcome. It's an informal practice and no brooms."

The guys grabbed a few items and James went to find the other team members, asking them to meet him outside. Surprisingly, they all complied.

Once the team was all gathered, James said, "Okay. I want to have an informal practice. Now, I can't mandate that any of you participate, but I strongly urge you to stick around. We're a fairly new team and we need all the chances we can get to learn about each other. Sirius, see if you can grab a few other students."

"How many?"

"Um… We need two teams of seven. There's seven of us on the team, and there's three of you…"

"I'll just watch," Peter piped up.

"Me too. I want to get some work done," Remus added.

James frowned, but continued, "So we need six more, then."

"And what, pray-tell, are we playing?"

"Ultimate Frisbee." Everyone stared at James blankly, having no idea what that was. "I spent part of my summer looking up sports I thought could help us as a team. I'll explain it when everyone's together." Sirius nodded and went off in search of six more people.

When Sirius rejoined the Quidditch team, he brought with him Addison, Lily, Gillette, Taylor and Smith – both guys from the Hufflepuff Quidditch team – and Wooster from Ravenclaw. James explained the rules of Ultimate Frisbee, and then spent a few minutes letting everyone get a turn at practicing how to throw the Frisbee.

Sirius, never having played the American muggle game, had no idea what to do at first. Fortunately for him, not only was he a quick learner, but both Evans and Gillette had played Frisbee and gave him a few tips on how to throw it properly. Evans wanted, badly, to see James lose at something, and so provided as much help as she could.

As much fun as they had, the game was also a disaster, and quickly degraded from an organized game of Ultimate Frisbee to tackle Keep-away – with a Frisbee. In fact, the only rule that had been maintained from the beginning was the "no magic rule," and James suspected even that had been subtly broken from time to time.

Between the lack of organization, and Aden joining him where he sat with Peter, Remus, who had initially been trying to keep score, gave up and gave in to distraction, which also resulted in him not getting any of his classwork done.

All in all though, James thought the afternoon was well spent; his team became more cohesive as camaraderie was built. He was also impressed with Lily. The same passion she put into fighting him tooth-and-nail, standing up for others, and organizing the DADA study group, she put into playing sports. And despite her prim and proper demeanor, she was not at all afraid to get dirty – or play dirty if the situation called for it.

Late in the afternoon, everyone headed back inside the castle and got cleaned up for supper. James was glad to see that a few of the Gryffindor teammates sat together.

After supper, the fifth-years met in one of the abandoned classrooms to work on the Defense Against the Dark Arts project. The deadline for the project was quickly approaching and it was nearly complete. They reviewed some of the latest spells that Remus had found, and how they would be incorporated into the overall protection of the cement egg. After that, everyone looked over the plans, trying to find weaknesses in its defenses. And then they spent the remainder of their time collaborating on their classwork, although Lily had to leave early since she was patrolling tonight.

"You know," Remus whispered to James, "I think this is the longest you two have gone without a fight." James smiled at the thought. Maybe there was hope for them yet.

Chapter 61

The day of the Halloween Feast arrived. It was this day that the DADA project had to be turned in, and Professor Whistler announced the next assignment. The students had to come up with a plan of attack for stealing the egg from a defended stronghold. The Professor gave each class a rundown of how the egg was defended. Over the course of the next several weeks, they were allowed to ask questions regarding the defenses and any new information would automatically update on every class' synopsis so all students had the same information to go on. This next assignment was due at the end of the fall term – the last class before the holidays.

The fifth-year Gryffindors continued to work together. Even with everyone chipping in on the assignments, the amount of work the students had left very little time for anything else. It seemed there was just enough time for Remus to perform his prefect duties and have Friday nights with Aden, and for James to hold Quidditch practice twice a week, and little else. But finally, the second week of November, the guys were able to pull together for an afternoon to work on the final spell for becoming animagi.

It was agreed that, to decrease the amount of pressure, Remus would accompany one person at a time into the Room of Requirement. If they hadn't accomplished the animagi form within 45 minutes, they would come out and the next person would try. That was the theory, anyway. However, Remus' usually calm and patient demeanor was lacking on this particular Saturday. So much so, that he was having a hard time sitting still.

James sat in the middle of the floor. The Room had provided a nice grassy area on which to sit, giving the feel of being outside, and yet enclosed and safe. He sat quietly for a few minutes trying to concentrate, but Remus kept intruding on his thoughts with suggestions for concentrating. "Remus!" he snapped. "You're not helping."

"Fine. You were the one who wanted me here, remember?" Remus huffed and sat down to work on classwork again. James eyed him curiously, but then went back to concentrating on the spell. It was no good, though. Remus' uncharacteristic behavior had sufficiently killed any chance James had of instilling inner calm.

"So, you want to talk?" James asked, sounding slightly more annoyed than he intended.

"No."

James shrugged. "Fine. I'll get Peter."

Peter had even less success than James and only managed to stay in the room with Remus for ten minutes before giving up. When Peter came out of the room, he looked at James. "What's up with him?"

"No, idea," James sighed.

"Guess it would be my turn, then," Sirius said.

"See if you can find out what's going on," James requested of him.

Sirius nodded and entered the room. He could feel the energy in the room as soon as he walked in. Remus was pacing. "Well, that's not something you see everyday," Sirius quipped. Remus stopped pacing, but cast a wary glance at Sirius. "Sit." Sirius commanded, pointing to the middle of the room.

Remus cocked his head to the side. "Aren't you the one who's supposed to be sitting there?"

Sirius sat down, but pointed again at the place in front of him, "Sit." Remus sat facing him. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. What? You all can have a bad day, but I can't?"

"Defensive much?" Sirius asked with a smirk. "Does it have to do with tonight?"

Remus' eyes focused inward for a few seconds. "It might," he said wearily.

"It's getting worse, isn't it?"

Remus paused before answering. "When I was young, I relied on my parents to know when I had to… go to the basement. As I got older, I was able to feel it coming minutes before it started. Just enough time to make it to the basement and get… situated. I don't know. It seems… It's like I can feel it coming all day now. Being around people agitates me. Being inside agitates me." Sirius nodded. "You know when you get a fever and your skin becomes really sensitive? Like, even the lightest fabric rubs you wrong, and you feel like you want to crawl out of your skin?" Sirius nodded again. "That's what being around people feels like lately – on the day of, anyway."

"How long has it been that bad? We noticed you had started getting irritable at the beginning of the year. Did this just start over the summer?"

"I'm not sure. Nobody was around over the summer, so it's kind of hard to tell."

"Mm. Does it scare you?"

Remus was surprised by the question, and how accurate Sirius was in his assessment. "A little."

"Good."

"Good?" Remus asked incredulously.

"Yeah. It means you're still fighting it. You're still human, and you're still our favorite little prefect." Sirius reached over and patted Remus on the head.

Remus swatted away his hand. "Thanks," he said sarcastically.

"You're welcome… now, go find something to do. I need to concentrate on becoming an animal or I'll risk becoming sensitive and girly."

Remus smirked and moved to a corner of the room. "You've got the hair already."

"Hey! Leave my hair out of this." Sirius had been letting his hair grow longer, probably in silent protest to his mother's desire to have respectable looking boys with short hair. "There's nothing wrong with my hair," he mumbled, making Remus snicker.

He watched Sirius sit very still, which was interesting in itself because Sirius rarely ever sat still. Remus, on the other hand, alternated between sitting and trying to do classwork, and pacing in his little corner while trying to make as little noise as possible.

The afternoon had been long and after twenty minutes or so, Remus leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. While he was sitting there, he felt a shift in the magic or energy of the room. He also noticed that his feelings of agitation decreased. Something had caused the wolf to calm down. Remus opened his eyes and let out a grunt of startlement. Standing before him was the biggest black dog he had ever seen. "Oh… my…" Remus reached out his hand, to touch the dog in front of him. "Sirius?"

The dog lifted its paw as if to "shake." Laughing, Remus took the paw and shook hands with the dog. "Excellent! I'm going to get the others." Remus got up and opened the door to the hall. It felt like a wind blew through the open door, bringing with it the weight of agitation he had only just been freed from. Pushing his feelings aside, Remus smiled at James and Peter. "You have got to see this!"

They jumped up from where they were sitting and entered the room. Peter let out a squeak of fear and took a step back. James stared in wide-eyed disbelief. There was a huge black dog with pale blue-grey eyes in front of them, and he was roughly the size of a small bear. He sat wagging his tail as if waiting for praise or a treat.

"Bloody brilliant," James whispered as he walked around Sirius, getting a good look at him. He smiled, approvingly. "Excellent!" He reached out and scratched Sirius behind the ears. It's a dog thing. It's hard to be in the presence of a dog and not pet it. Much to James' amusement, Sirius' head leaned into the scratching and his tongue lulled out of the side of his mouth. This made all the Marauders laugh. And even Peter approached and gave Sirius a quick pat on the head.

To the amusement of the others, Sirius strutted around the room with his head held high, like a proper show dog.

"He looks like a grim," Peter said nervously. He never was a big fan of dogs and, while logically he knew this was Sirius, the large dog in front of him was still rather intimidating.

"No. Not a grim," James said thoughtfully. He thought back to stories from his childhood about the large black dogs that guarded lonely travelers and graveyards, occasionally helping people on their journeys, both in this realm and on into the next one. He whispered, "A Padfoot."

Sirius, who was across the room, cocked his head to the side. He bounded up to James, stood on his hind legs, and gently put his front paws on James' shoulders, easily standing eye-to-eye with him, then he nodded.

"Padfoot," James declared, more loudly this time. "Okay, get off. You're heavy."

Remus smirked. "Very nice. Now change yourself back."

Sirius trotted to the middle of the room. He turned a circle before sitting down, making James snicker, then he sat there. The other Marauders watched him for a few minutes and nothing happened. Finally, he turned his head to Remus and let out a soft whine.

Remus laughed. "Stuck, eh? All right." He stepped forward, but James grabbed him by the arm.

"I don't know. I think I kind of like him like that." Sirius put his ears back and bared his teeth, which was a rather impressive sight. His shiny, white teeth stood out in stark contrast to his black fur. "Okay," James laughed, raising his hands in surrender. "Just kidding."

Remus pointed his wand at Sirius and immediately, the boy morphed back into his old self, grinning sheepishly.

"That was wicked," Sirius said excitedly.

"I want to try again," James said, partly out of excitement, and partly out of a desire to prove he could do it.

Remus and Sirius exchanged looks. "I think we should wait. It's getting late and Moony's got a fun night ahead."

"Oh? What are you doing?" Peter asked, his voice coming out slightly whiny, which immediately made him blush. The disbelieving look that James and Sirius cast him made him blush further still.

"Well, when's the next time we can try it?" James asked.

"I don't know. The season opener is next week, so it won't be then. Hogsmeade is the week after…" Remus ticked off the upcoming weekends on his fingers.

"I don't mind skipping Hogsmeade," James said hopefully.

"Yeah, well. You might not, but Aden wouldn't be too happy about it." James huffed, but didn't press it.

"Remus, why don't you teach me the reversal spell during the next Quidditch practice and then I can fill in for you with these two," Sirius suggested.

Remus struggled with the emotions this simple suggestion stirred up. He reminded himself that, on any normal day, the suggestion wouldn't have bothered him – it was just today because he was already agitated. So after calming himself down, he answered, "Yeah. Fine. Let's go. I'm hungry." He headed for the door without looking back.

James looked over at Sirius, who mouthed "later," and followed Remus out the door.

Sitting around the fireplace that night, James asked Sirius what was up. Sirius explained to him and Peter what Remus had told him about the transformations and being able to feel it before it starts and the wolf getting agitated in the presence of other people.

James looked concerned. "You think it will affect him even more as he gets older?"

"Who knows. Hopefully, he'll out-grow it."

- - - - -

A/N - Well, hope y'all enjoy the two chapters. They were both fairly short and followed with each other, so I posted both. Thanks again to all you who review. Frequency does not diminish gratitude, and I love hearing your reactions to what is going on. Thank you for all of your wonderful comments. And, once again, thank you to Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. Love.

Nonair - I'm glad to hear you liked the room and the natural progression of the conversation - that the reveal didn't seem forced or out of place. And I'm glad you thought Aden stayed in character with how she reacted, especially for a Ravenclaw. And I'm thrilled to hear I could make you laugh. Glad the boys are still boys and can laugh. Have a great holiday!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 62

The following Saturday was the first Quidditch game of the year. As usual, it was Gryffindor verses Slytherin. James had grown increasingly anxious as the week leading up to the game progressed. The others hadn't seen him this nervous since his first game back in second year.

At breakfast, James noticed that he was not the only one nervous. Few of the other team members were eating, either, so he decided to round them up and send them to the locker room to get ready.

"Hey," Sirius called after him. "We'll be rooting for you, mate."

James gave a weak smile and headed to the locker room. Once he arrived, he looked around at his fellow teammates. Jules and Stacey offered encouraging smiles.

"Okay team," James began. "We're young and more inexperienced than not. But we're good. We know each other. We know our plays. Slytherin is tough – not because they're good, but because they play dirty. They will try to injure you. They will try to bully and distract you. They will try taunting you. Help each other out. Don't let anyone get singled out. Try not to let them get to you. And Anna. Gudgeon. Aim well." James smiled at them. "Let's go get 'em."

Most of the school expected the game would be rather one-sided. James was young for a captain and his team was rather young. The Slytherins were bigger, stronger and, for the most part, older and more experienced. To everyone's surprise, the Gryffindors more than held their own. They held the lead most of the game and it was only due to the 150 points given for catching the snitch that the Slytherins won. The final tally ended up being Slytherin: 170; Gryffindor: 80. The team headed back to the locker room looking rather dejected.

"Everyone, sit down," James requested. "Now listen. I know we lost today, but honestly – you all made me proud." James went through and highlighted some of the players' finer moments, congratulating them on their performances and teamwork. "You really impressed me out there. We'll have an extra practice this week just to talk about strategy and problem areas that we need to shore up a bit. I want a criticism and a praise from each one of you for every other teammate by Monday. We'll go over the lists then. Get cleaned up and go get lunch."

James sat in the locker room while the rest of his team showered and left for lunch. Sirius came up and sat on the bench opposite him. "Did you just assign your team homework?" Sirius asked incredulously.

James chuckled. "Yeah. I guess I did."

"I think you take this power-thing a little too seriously…And that's saying something coming from me," Sirius grinned. "I don't even think Moony would have given them an assignment."

James shrugged.

"You doing okay?"

"Yeah, actually. The team did really well today. I know we lost, but… they did well."

Sirius smiled. "Be careful. You almost sound like you're growing up."

James chuckled. "Don't tell anyone," he said, while poking Sirius with the end of his broom. "Where are the others?"

"I think they were afraid to come in. You're normally not this… happy… after a losing game."

"Oh. I wanted to win. Absolutely. But did you see _my team_? My team! They did great. We're going to win next time. You'll see." James beamed with pride

"Come on. Get cleaned up or nobody's going to want to sit next to you."

That night, Remus, who had been in a much better mood since the last full moon, approached the Marauders, who were sitting around the fireplace doing classwork. "My fellow Marauders," he announced, gaining everyone else's interest. "I want to show you something." He looked around and whispered, "Not here." Immediately, the other three guys got up and followed him to the dorm. "Ta-da!" Remus held up the map.

"The map?" Sirius asked questioningly. Remus smiled and nodded. Sirius touched the parchment with the tip of his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Peter and James leaned in on either side of Sirius so they too could see the map. Sirius looked at the map, then looked up at Remus, his eyes glinting excitedly. "Excellent!" Every person in the castle was represented on the map. It showed their exact location and their movements. Each person had his name written in minuscule letters.

"I also took the liberty of changing your name to Padfoot. Since I'm Moony on the map, I thought it was only fair."

"That's brilliant!" Sirius gently punched Remus on the arm.

James looked over at Peter. "Well, looks like you and I have to work on transforming so we can get our nicknames."

Peter nodded, though he was still looking carefully over the map. It was finished now, except for their names. The map could locate anyone, so knowing professors' and prefects' schedules was no longer a necessity. The map knew the castle better than he did. He felt he had very little left to offer the group. Becoming an animagus might be the only thing that kept him with the others. He would make sure he learned how to do it.

The next Saturday, Remus went to Hogsmeade with Aden and the other three Marauders spent the day in the Room of Requirement. Sirius transformed first, partly to prove to himself it wasn't a fluke and partly to run through his thought process with James and Peter. It was only after he did it that he realized how stupid it was, since the last time he transformed he needed Remus to make him human again. Fortunately, he managed to turn back this time without help.

Peter waited out in the corridor as he had done the last time. Without someone in the background keeping James from concentrating, he was able to transform on his first try. Sirius whistled and walked around the huge stag standing in front of him. He had never had the opportunity to see one up-close before and, had James told him that he would turned into a stag, Sirius would have ribbed him for turning into such a pansy-animal. But up-close, there was nothing at all pansy about a stag, with his barrel chest and solid build, not to mention the impressive antlers James was sporting. James pawed the ground, as he watched Sirius circle him. There was something very regal about his animagus form and Sirius could see now why the Stag was the prince of the forest.

Sirius stepped away. "Hold on. I'm getting Peter."

Peter entered the room and his jaw dropped open. "James?"

James snorted and Sirius rolled his eyes. "No, Peter. That's just a deer." Sirius smacked him on the back of the head. "Who do you think that is?"

Peter frowned at Sirius, but stepped closer to James. He reached out tentatively and touched James' antlers. James pawed the ground again. Sirius thought about how, as a dog, his thoughts had simplified, rather like a child with a one- track mind, and he had very much wanted to run and play. He wondered if James was having a similar experience and that, as a deer, being indoors was somewhat confining.

"Ready to turn back?" Sirius asked.

James bobbed his head, and Sirius and Peter stepped back, giving him room. Within seconds, James was back and standing in front of them, grinning from ear-to-ear. "That was… awesome! I can't wait to get outside and be able to run."

Sirius smiled back, nodding his head knowingly. "Can't wait to let loose, eh?"

James nodded back. "Wicked."

Peter watched as the other two shared a "moment" of understanding and camaraderie. He cleared his throat.

It was enough to get James' attention and he turned to Peter. "Your turn, now."

"Right," Peter offered a weak smile. As much as he wanted to change, he wasn't confident in his ability. He sat in the middle of the room and began to concentrate.

After an hour, James made Sirius leave because, he reasoned, threatening Peter's life wasn't going to make him relax. Two hours after that, James walked a very defeated-feeling Peter back to the common room. "You'll get it, Peter. Honest. You don't think we'd let you stay behind do you?"

Peter just grunted in reply. He knew James was extremely frustrated. He and Sirius were both hoping that this would be the month they would get to stay with Remus through his transformation. And Peter was slowing them down. When they entered the common room, Peter watched Sirius, who was animatedly talking with the few students who were not at Hogsmeade. Sirius glanced over at his friends and, without pausing, finished whatever story he was telling. But in that brief glance, Peter saw the knowing look that passed over Sirius' face and the disappointment that flashed in his eyes at Peter's failure.

Once Peter and James were seated, Sirius joined them. "So?" he asked. James just shook his head. Sirius looked contemplatively at Peter, who thought it was more a glare than anything, but Sirius said, "Sorry about yelling at you earlier. Maybe Moony would be more helpful."

Peter, feeling rather dejected, sighed and stood up. "I'm going upstairs."

That night, Peter lay in bed thinking about the spells that they had performed to get them as far as they had. He wasn't the smartest, or the most talented, but he really couldn't see how he'd messed anything up. He concentrated on the last spell again, practicing it and repeating it like a mantra in his head until he fell asleep.

At 6:00 Sunday morning, James felt himself being prodded in the arm.

"James," Sirius half-whispered.

James swung his arm to get rid of the annoying, prodding entity next to his bed.

"James! Get up."

"What!" James said irritatedly. "What time is it?"

"Six. Now get up." Moving on to Remus' bed, Sirius prodded him awake next. "Moony." Remus' reaction was almost as positive as James'. Once Sirius knew both boys were awake – enough – he said, "Have either of you seen Peter?"

"What?" James asked.

"No." Remus shook his head.

"Was he here when you got in last night?" Sirius asked Remus.

"Mmm. I don't know. I didn't look."

"When did you get in last night?" James asked with a smirk.

Remus blushed slightly. "Late."

"Guys," Sirius brought attention back to himself. "I've been up since five and I didn't see Peter leave."

"Why, on God's green earth, were you up at five?" James asked, still sounding groggy.

Sirius shrugged. "I'm an early riser. You should know that by now."

James, who hadn't gotten out of bed yet, flopped back on his pillow with a groan. "You're insane. You know that."

"Did you check the map?" Remus asked.

Sirius slapped his own forehead and rolled his eyes. He walked over to his bag and pulled out the map. He glanced at Addison to make sure he was still sleeping soundly, then whispered the incantation to reveal the map. He frowned at what he saw. "This can't be right."

James' curiosity was piqued and he got out of bed and stood behind Sirius, looking over his shoulder at the map. James also frowned. "It says he's here."

"What?" Remus asked, coming over to look at the map, too. Sure enough, the map showed Peter was in his bed.

The three awake Marauders exchanged confused looks, then walked over to Peter's bed. Sirius wiped the map clean before pulling back the covers of Peter's bed. There, sleeping very soundly in the middle of the bed, was a rat. The three stood, staring in shock, but then Sirius burst out laughing and the others followed suit.

Their laughing awoke Addison. "What's going on?" he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

Remus threw the covers over the rat and Sirius, still laughing, sat nonchalantly on the bed.

"Sorry. Peter played a joke on us and we just found out about it," James explained.

Addison rolled his eyes and laid back down, covering his head with his blanket.

Remus whispered to Sirius, "Grab him," while pointing at Peter's bed.

Sirius pulled back the blankets again. "You grab him," he whispered back at Remus.

James nudged him from behind. "Just get him."

Sirius huffed, but gently picked up the sleeping rat, while Remus retrieved the map and James got his invisibility cloak. They snuck out of the dorm and headed to the Room of Requirement.

"So, I take it you were successful yesterday?" Remus asked.

"Well, I was," James answered. "Peter didn't get it. He must have been trying until he fell asleep."

"Excellent!" Remus smiled. "Were you able to turn back?"

James nodded. "Yeah. Both Sirius and I."

"Good. So what are you?"

"He's a rutting deer," Sirius smirked. Okay, so he was going to tease James anyway.

"I'm a stag. And you were rather impressed yesterday, if I remember correctly."

Sirius smiled at Remus and nodded. "It was, actually. Rather impressive. He's huge." Returning to a teasing tone he added, "Very manly." James shoved his shoulder - gently, so as not to disturb Peter.

Glancing down at Peter, Remus shook his head. "A rat. Who would have guessed?"

"I'm not particularly fond of rats, you know," Sirius said conversationally. Remus spocked his eyebrow at him; his look one of amusement. "It's the tails. They're hairless. It's unnatural."

"Kind of looks like a worm," James commented. "Except, not slimy."

"Wormtail," Remus said thoughtfully.

"Yes! Perfect," Sirius said. James nodded in agreement. "Now we just need a name for you, Bambi." James punched Sirius' shoulder a little harder this time.

They got about half-way to the Room, when Peter began to stir. His twitchy little nose began to work overtime and all at once he started squealing and wriggling in Sirius' hands. "Peter, relax. Relax! Stop! Ow." Sirius had to stop walking and concentrate on keeping Peter in his hands. He didn't want to drop his friend on the hard stone floor, but Peter's wiggling and nails were making that difficult. "Peter! Oh… Gross!" Sirius looked up at his friends, disgust written plainly across his features. "He peed on me!" James and Remus, full of heart-felt sympathy, started laughing. "Thanks… a lot," he ground out in mounting frustration. Finally he gave Peter a little squeeze. "Now stop it, Peter, before I drop-kick you." The rat froze. "Thank you. Now… We're taking you to the Room of Requirement. You understand?"

Peter squeaked and nodded his head. "Ew," Sirius said again. "Here. You take him," Sirius held Peter out to James.

"No way," James replied, still laughing.

Remus relieved Sirius of his little burden, and Sirius immediately pulled out his wand and whispered "_Scourgify_."

Once they entered the Room, Remus set Peter down. "Can you transform back?"

Peter sat on his hind end, his nose twitching, and his front paws moving, looking remarkably like someone who was ringing his hands together nervously. He let out a squeak and looked expectantly at Remus. Remus obliged and turned him back into human form.

"Congratulations, Peter," Remus said smiling.

"Yeah, congratulations," James clapped Peter on the back.

"Good job, Wormtail." Sirius frowned. "But next time you pee on me, I'm going to turn into Padfoot and swallow you whole."

"Padfoot," Remus chided quietly.

"Wormtail?" Peter asked, frowning. He wasn't too thrilled with the name. He wasn't really too thrilled with his form. Sirius had been a massive, rather scary looking dog. James was a huge, majestic stag. Was it not enough that he was the weakest of them, now his animagus form was a pathetic rat? He didn't even like rats. His mum wanted to buy him a rat as a pet, but he had refused.

"Yup," James answered, grinning. "Moony's idea."

"Oh."

"I still need a name, though."

"And I still like 'Bambi,'" Sirius snarked.

"Very funny."

"I haven't seen your form yet, James," Remus pointed out.

"Oh yeah…" James glanced at Sirius and smiled. Immediately, the two of them changed into their animal forms. It was hard to tell which one was bigger. James was definitely the taller of the two, but Sirius appeared to have more mass, though part of that could have been fur. Sirius got up on his hind legs and, placing a front paw on James' back for balance, he nipped at James' antlers. Grabbing one, he pulled, dropping himself on all fours. James, however, had the advantage that way and started forcing Sirius into a corner. Sirius let go of the antler and dodged to the right, nipping at James' hind leg as he went. The two, reveling in their animal natures, ended up playing a game of tag, which was rather impressive in the small confines of the room.

Their frolicking made Remus laugh, and even Peter joined in after a while, the two were just too much fun to watch. Remus nudged Peter. "Join them."

Peter shook his head, "No. I wouldn't want to get…"

"Trampled? I bet you'd be surprised. Join them." Remus gave Peter an encouraging nod and watched as the round-faced boy shrank into the small rat.

As soon as he changed, Padfoot bound over to Wormtail and very gently picked him up in his mouth. He trotted over to James who stood very still while he deposited the rat on his back. Peter stood for a moment, unsure what to do. James bobbed his head slightly and Peter somehow understood. He ran up the stag's neck and scurried onto his antlers. With Peter holding on for dear life, the other two picked up their game of tag, allowing him to be right in the thick of things without fear of being trampled.

At about 8:30, Remus called to the others. "Guys. I think we should go to breakfast before we miss it."

James and Sirius cantered over to Remus, and Peter scrambled down James' neck, jumping onto Sirius, who lay down so Peter could easily hop to the floor. Then James and Sirius both transformed into their human selves and waited for Peter to do the same.

He stood for a few minutes, concentrating as hard as a little rat can, but then gave up with a pathetic little squeak. Remus chuckled and transformed him back.

Peter was smiling in spite of himself. Not only could he do something that most fully qualified wizards were unable to do, but he had not been left out of the play, despite his small size. He was still part of the group. In fact, he felt a small amount of selfish pride in the fact that he could become a rat at will, like James and Sirius could also change. It was Remus, this time, who was not in the "in," though, granted, it was because of Remus they had undertaken this venture in the first place. "Thanks, Moony," Peter said, smiling at him. "I'm glad I met you."

Remus frowned slightly in confusion, but then he smiled back and said, "You're welcome."

"Here, here," Sirius jumped in. "To Moony." He lifted his arm in an imaginary toast. "Now, we have 'Moony,'" at this point, Sirius pointed at Remus, "'Padfoot,'" Sirius pointed at himself, and "'Wormtail,'" Sirius pointed at Peter. "What about... Bambi?"

"If you call me that, one more time…" James balled his fist and let the threat hang, receiving only a chuckle from Sirius for his efforts.

"How do you even know that reference, anyway?" Remus asked.

Sirius blushed and mumbled something indistinct under his breath. "Doesn't matter."

The conversation on their way to the Great Hall vacillated from trying to think of a good name for James and trying to get Sirius to tell his "Bambi" story, which was obviously rather embarrassing to him.

They arrived just in time for the owl-post to arrive. To his surprise, an envelop arrived for Sirius. The script was neat and precise and oddly familiar. He opened the letter and a small picture fell out. The picture was of an adorable, newborn baby girl, currently sleeping with her eyes tightly shut and sucking on her hand. Sirius read the letter. "Huh. My cousin had her baby." Sirius turned the picture to show the others. "They named her Nymphadora – poor thing."

"Who's that?" Gillette came up behind Sirius and gave him a quick hug.

"My cousin… er… my cousin's daughter."

"Aww. She's so adorable."

"Well of course she is. We're related." Sirius smiled and winked at Gillette.

"Oh, please," said a familiar voice.

"Good morning to you, too, Evans," Sirius said off-handedly.

"She is cute," Lily admitted.

"You should see my baby pictures," James piped up.

"Crazy hair and drool?" Lily asked in a barely interested voice. "Not much different then now, is it?" Lily smirked wickedly and Sirius burst out laughing.

When the girls had walked away, Sirius said, "You know… for someone who's been up for almost three hours, you'd think you'd be a little quicker on the comebacks, Bambi."

James flicked a grape at Sirius. "Watch it or I'll stab you in your sleep with my antlers."

"Would that be like stabbing me with a fork? You know… those tiny little prongs."

"Hey! Never make fun of the size of a man's prongs!" As soon as the statement was out, all four Marauders were doubled over with laughter.

Once they got themselves under some semblance of control, Remus said, "Prongs." He looked over at Sirius, who nodded approvingly. "It fits."

James grinned. "Prongs it is."

"Looks like I'll be changing the map again." Remus looked around at his friends. They had done it. They had risked… well, everything... to become animagi, and they succeeded. And there the four sat – a werewolf, a rat, a dog, and a stag.

Innocence. One of the beautiful things about innocence is that it's ignorant of tomorrow. It doesn't take into account cost, because there's nothing to be paid. There's freedom in innocence, and joy. Remus had lost his too young, but had been given a chance to re-capture some of it with his friends, only to find he couldn't really get it back. Sirius was struggling to hold on to his, but eventually found he was clinging to the wrong thing and it slipped from his hands. James let his go for the greater good. And Peter – he had never been concerned with his and therefore didn't blink when he sold it. With the exception of one, leaving their childhood behind turned them into far better men – more noble and caring than they currently were. But their fifth year at Hogwarts – that was the height of their childhood. Everything they wanted to be they achieved. There was nowhere left to go… but out of childhood and into adulthood.

- - - - -

A/N - I had seriously considered ending Part 3 here and beginning Part 4 with the next chapter as this seemed like the perfect place to end it. Alas, the next chapter would make an awkward start for a new story, so I've decided to end Part 3 at the end of year 5 (not that any of you care about my thoughts on this matter...). Anyway... Thank you all very much for the wonderful reviews! I am grateful and encouraged. Thank you.

And thanks also to my wonderful betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. I am eternally thankful for you all. Love.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer – Same as always.

Chapter 63

The December full moon was on a Monday this year. Remus had tried to convince James and Sirius that it would be better to wait for a weekend full moon for the guys to visit him at the shack, but they would hear none of it. Peter kept his silence on the matter. Truth be told, there were a number of reasons he didn't want to visit Remus this full moon, but being sleepy the following school day was at the bottom of the list. However, he knew he would eventually have to face Remus in werewolf form, and now was as good a time as any.

Remus walked himself to the Shrieking Shack and the other Marauders agreed they would meet up with him later that night. Remus had found out the month before that the door leading from the tunnel to the shack sealed itself from the inside so, with a simple spell, someone could enter, but could not leave until the sun came up in the morning. That meant the guys could join him after he had changed, and they wouldn't run the risk of Remus escaping during the night through an improperly sealed door.

The guys snuck out under the invisibility cloak and made their way to the Whomping Willow. Once they were close enough, James whispered to Peter, "Wormtail, can you get close enough to the tree to step on the knot?"

Peter looked at James in surprise. Dodging the killer tree was not on his list of things to accomplish tonight. But he nodded nervously, and started toward the tree.

"As the rat, you git," Sirius called after him.

Peter was very grateful for the cover of night; James and Sirius couldn't see the crimson color he'd turned in embarrassment. He turned into his rat form and scurried forward. He was small enough that the tree barely registered his presence until he was too close to the trunk for the tree to do more than rustle its leaves angrily at letting the little creature slip so close. But soon even the rustling was stilled as Peter crawled onto the knot at the bottom of the tree, freezing it. James and Sirius both slipped into the tunnel and gestured for Peter to follow. Still unable to transform himself back into a human, Peter ran as quickly as he could to keep up. After less than a minute, however, he let out an exasperated squeal.

James looked back and watched Peter run along the tunnel wall. When Peter got to him, James picked him up and carried him the rest of the way, placing Peter on his shoulder.

In their excitement, the tunnel seemed to last forever, but they finally arrived at the door. They could hear howling and crashing coming from inside the shack, though it sounded as though Remus was not in the room on the other side of the door. This was good, as they hoped to sneak James into the shack in human form so he could make sure the door closed behind them. Then he'd turn into his stag form – before the werewolf caught the scent of a human. They underestimated the werewolf's senses.

Sirius turned into the black dog and glanced expectantly at James, who nodded back. James put Peter on the ground, whispered the spell to open the door, then the three slipped into the shack. However, the werewolf knew there was a human present even before the door was opened. The three barely had time to set foot into the shack before the large, bloody wolf was bounding at them. Sirius leapt into action, colliding with the wolf and forcing him back away from the door. Then he placed himself between James and Remus. He instinctively lowered his front end. His ears were back, and he was growling menacingly as a warning to the wolf. But by then, James had already turned into the stag.

The wolf was surprised by the visitors. He was frustrated at the large dog for blocking his path to human prey, and then became confused when the human presence disappeared. He stared at the newcomers, part of him feeling he should recognize them, but he'd never had contact with anything before, except that one night of blessed freedom when he'd escaped his cage and that wretched collar. The first humans he'd contacted that night, so long ago, had been strong enough to chase him away, though he blamed that on the weakness of the voice in his head which had screamed at him to leave them be. So he had run and, in frustration, he'd killed the first thing he came across – a rabbit. It was good, and a little fun, but not satisfying.

Here he was again. There had been a human in the shack, and the dog had blocked his way. Now his quarry escaped. The dog would pay. He turned, growling and barking, toward the dog. The dog stood his ground, but made no attempt to fight him. He contemplated how to proceed. The dog was no rabbit and would be able to hold his own in a fight. Was it worth injury?

As he stood challenging the dog, the stag stepped forward and pawed the ground hard to get his attention. The stag shook his head, his antlers catching the small amount of light that seeped through the cracks in the wall.

The black dog relaxed some with the stag standing next to him. It was clear the stag would help the dog if it came to a fight, so the wolf turned his attention to the stag instead – measuring him up. That annoying voice inside his head told him that they meant no harm and were, in fact, friends. He cocked his head to the side, listening to that voice and feeling, deep inside himself, that this was true. It was a new experience for the wolf. He'd never felt anything but frustration, rage, and longing. Now, he felt a different sort of longing – not the sort born out of hunger, but out of wanting to be part of the pack. He stepped forward and sniffed at the stag. It backed away slightly, and the dog growled a low warning, but the wolf only bared his teeth in response. He stared into the eyes of the stag and saw intelligence there that he knew wasn't entirely natural, but he understood the stag would not harm him either.

Once he was familiar with the scent of the stag, he turned to the dog. The dog sat during his inspection. If it was possible for a dog to appear haughty, this one managed it. He seemed completely unconcerned about what the wolf thought of him or could do to him. No, he decided. The dog wasn't haughty. Looking into the dog's eyes, he saw confidence - confidence and trust that he wouldn't do anything to him. The dog lowered his head and nudged the wolf's leg where he had bitten himself earlier. When the dog raised his head again, he looked concerned.

Feeling oddly uncomfortable, the wolf turned his attention to the rat. He'd smelled him and knew he was there, but hadn't seen him. He sniffed the ground and followed the scent to the old couch. He couldn't get at the rat there, though, so he started pawing at the couch. This turned into frustrated scratching and digging. He let out a low snarl when he was suddenly nipped on the tail. He spun around to find the dog standing behind him. The front of his body was lowered and his ears were forward, his tail wagging. The dog let out a soft woof, then spun on the spot and took off out of the room and up the stairs. The wolf followed behind and a game of tag began.

The rest of the night was spent in play. Occasionally the wolf got antsy, but the stag and the black dog kept him occupied. By morning, even the rat had come out from under the couch.

Peter was too nervous to join directly in the fray, not wanting to risk injury, but he found he was quick and nimble, and when it appeared James or Sirius needed a break, he was willing to give chase for a while, usually cheating by going places the wolf couldn't get to.

Sirius was in the middle of a wrestling match with the wolf, when suddenly the wolf yelped and began to howl. Sirius backed away, fearing he had hurt his friend. He whined slightly and looked at James. James stared, transfixed by what he was witnessing. Sirius turned back and subconsciously hunkered to the floor.

The wolf shook and howled in pain. There were barely audible crunching sounds as his bones either shortened, lengthened, or realigned to fit a different body. His face contorted and his fur receded until all that was left was a shivering, naked boy curled on his knees in the fetal position. He took one last shuddering breath before collapsing into unconsciousness.

Sirius crept forward and nudged him with his nose, whining again and looking back at James. James had returned to human form though. He took his own robe off and draped it over Remus.

Sirius also returned to human form. "That was…" he whispered shakily.

"Yeah," James responded, still kneeling by Remus.

"I didn't realize…"

"Yeah," James whispered again. He rubbed his hand over his face.

Frantic squeaking suddenly erupted from Peter. He ran toward the door, then over to where the others were. When they just stared at him, he squeaked again, running to the door and back again.

James and Sirius looked at each other. "Pomfrey," they said in unison. They started to run from the room, but Sirius stopped James. "Cloak!" he exclaimed. James skidded, turned and retrieved the cloak from where he had laid it over Remus.

They had barely made it into the hall when the door opened and Madam Pomfrey walked in. They could hear her muttering, whether to herself or to Remus they weren't sure. They sat waiting for nearly an hour before heading back to the castle. Peter remained in rat form so he could touch the knot on the tree when they exited. It wasn't until they snuck back into their dorm room, where they found Addison was already up and gone, that Sirius transformed Peter back into his human form, and the three got ready for classes.

The day was long and excruciating for them. They were able to keep themselves awake for Defense Against the Dark Arts by passing notes to each other and otherwise amusing themselves. In Herbology there was too much hands on work to be able to fall asleep, though they started getting silly from lack of sleep. Sirius received detention for falling asleep in Ancient Runes. He felt cheated, too, because he had just barely fallen asleep, making the detention not at all worth it. James and Peter had Arithmancy, and it was very easy to stay awake in that class. Fall asleep and you risked losing a limb, depending on what was being studied at the time. Plus they had each other to keep them awake.

After supper, they snuck to the hospital wing to see Remus. Madam Pomfrey let them in to visit. Fortunately there wasn't anyone else there.

"She's in a good mood," Sirius observed as they sat down with Remus.

Remus nodded. "Yeah. She was thrilled about last night."

"You told her?" James asked incredulously.

"No, no. I mean… I barely have any injuries. She thinks…" Remus cut off, looking a little guilty. "She's hoping I'm getting more control over it."

"Oh," Sirius said.

"Thanks, guys." Remus was looking intently at the blanket covering his bed. "You really helped last night."

James patted Remus' leg. "And this is just the beginning." Remus looked up and smiled.

"Do you remember anything?" Sirius asked.

"Not a lot. Feelings mostly. There are a few images. I remember you lunging at me," he nudged Sirius.

"Yeah. Sorry about that," Sirius said bashfully.

"'S'okay. But I think we need a new plan for how you're getting in. I don't think it's good for any of you to be in human form at any time."

"Well, we could arrive at the shack with you. Then we could change before you transform."

Remus shifted uncomfortably.

"What?" James asked.

"It's just… I don't… I don't want you to have to see that."

Peter mumbled, "I don't particularly fancy seeing it either." James and Sirius looked reproachfully at him. "Sorry. But… maybe we could just go to another room until you're done. Then we'd still be there, and wouldn't have to witness it. You still get your privacy."

Remus looked thoughtfully at Peter, and James said, "You know, that's not a bad idea, Wormtail. What do you think?"

"I think that would work," Remus smiled. And the Marauders planned their next adventure.

- - - - -

A/N – Thanks again so much for the wonderful words of encouragement and the reactions to the story. Love hearing those! Thank you!

Thank you, too, to my wonderful betas – Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love.

Nonair - Welcome back:) James does seem to have things easier all the way around. Maybe that's what makes growing up feel more natural for him. Glad you liked how they got their names, too. I wanted there to be a bit of a story behind them rather than just random thoughts. You know? Once again, thank you for summng things up so well. It let's me know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be with each character. Thanks for that.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 64

"Potter, you can't even do that spell."

This was the last night before the Snatch-the-Egg paper had to be turned in, and Lily was getting frustrated.

"Well maybe you can't, Evans, but who says I can't?" James replied.

"Oh please. We don't even learn that until 7th year," she retorted. James just smiled smugly at her, causing her to throw her hands up in frustration.

"I'd like to point out," Remus said quietly and patiently, "that it was never specified that we had to be able to perform the spells ourselves. We just had to research what spells would make a good defense."

Lily squinted at Remus, annoyed, though unsurprised, that he was taking James' side. On the other hand, he did have a point. "Fine. What exactly does the spell do again?"

"It detects friend from foe. It's like a muggle alarm system and it will activate or alert all our other spells," James explained excitedly.

Lily nodded. She was struggling with herself. Potter and Black had become particularly obnoxious of late and she didn't like taking suggestions from them; however, the spell really was an excellent idea. "Remus, can you add it in?"

Remus blushed and glanced at James uncomfortably. "Already done."

"What?" Lily turned her attention to James, "Potter! Do you have any concept of the idea of teamwork?"

"I do, as a matter of fact, and nearly half of our 'team' thought it was a good idea, so I _asked_ Moony to go ahead and change it. Do you have any concept of teamwork? Or does it have something to do with me? Because it seems the only time you've taken suggestions from me is when it comes through someone else."

Lily looked taken aback for a moment, realizing James was right in what he said. "As I recall, you were one of the people who appointed me 'team leader.' It makes sense that I know about changes that are going to be made to our final project and will affect the whole team."

"Stop it! Both of you," Gillette spoke up. "The idea was good; the change has been made. It doesn't matter. The project gets turned in tomorrow and you won't have to work with each other anymore. Stop bickering."

Lily and James both looked at her in surprise. Gillette rarely interrupted their spats, as she tended to find them rather amusing; but today things seemed more serious. Or perhaps she just wasn't feeling her best. Either way, she'd had enough of the arguing.

"Thank you," Sirius said, sounding exasperated. He also thought the fighting had gotten out of hand and Lily was being particularly irksome of late.

They finished the project rather quickly after that. Nobody really wanted to risk causing another argument.

The next day, they turned in their Snatch-the-Egg scrolls and wondered what the next assignment would be, when it would be due, and would it be another group project. But Professor Whistler didn't give a new assignment, saying that it would come after the holidays.

Remus was going home with James again, but he had plans to spend part of the holiday with Aden and her family. He had, of course, gotten permission from Madam Pomfrey.

Peter was going to meet up with Remus and James the day after Christmas and spend the night. This left Sirius the only one without any plans for the holiday.

The train ride back to Kings Cross Station was somewhat tense. The same group that shared the three compartments at the beginning of the year, shared them again now. Only this time, Lily and James spent much of their time sniping at each other, and Sirius was quiet and tense as he anticipated what "fun" would be in store for him this holiday. He had spent last summer away from home, and things changed enough from one holiday to another, let alone when he missed a whole summer.

When they got to the station, John and Peter's mum were waiting for Peter; the Potters and the Beynons were there as well. The usual round of greetings took place, though Lily looked uncomfortable. This was the first time her parents were not there to greet her.

"Well," she said sadly, "I better go. I don't think Petunia will come onto the platform anymore." She and Gillette whispered parting words and shared a hug before she left.

"It was nice seeing you again," Mrs. Beynon said to the Potters and Wagners, who for once hadn't left as soon as Peter arrived.

"You, too," Mrs. Potter smiled. Peter's mum nodded in agreement.

"Are you going to be able to get letters this holiday?" Gillette asked Sirius, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"Who knows," Sirius sighed.

"All right. See you in a few." Gillette kissed Sirius on the cheek and then gave the others a hug before leaving with her parents.

The four Marauders stepped a little away from the Potters and Wagners. The parents had started discussing arrangements for Peter's arrival at the Potters' house.

"Listen," Sirius said conspiratorially, "I've been thinking…"

"Uh-ho," Remus interjected.

Sirius scowled at Remus but continued, "I'm going to try to sneak away, say… the day after Christmas… Head into London. We should meet up."

Remus and James both frowned. "Sirius… You're going to get yourself in trouble," James warned.

"Mm. Maybe, but…"

"Sirius!" Mrs. Black's familiar voice called out.

Sirius cringed. "It's worse than nails on a blackboard… I've got the mirror. I'll talk with you later." He waved good-bye to the Potters and Wagners before leaving.

By the time he got home, it was pretty clear that his mother was in ignore-mode again, which was fine with him. That meant he could spend most of his time in his room, making it easier to slip away.

At dinner that evening, Sirius was trying very hard to keep from being noticed. He wouldn't be able to sneak out if he was shadowed again. He figured the best way to avoid this was not to cause problems. But then the conversation took an unexpected turn.

"Regulus, dear, when will Severus be arriving?" Mrs. Black asked very sweetly.

Sirius inhaled suddenly at Snivellus' name, causing him to choke on his food. His eyes watering slightly from the near asphyxiation, he looked up at his brother.

Regulus smirked. "He'll be here the day after Christmas."

Sirius groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."

Mrs. Black cast a sharp look at her son, but said nothing.

"No. He's coming by to help me with a few assignments. He's become something of a… mentor… you know… older brother type," Regulus said coldly.

Sirius stared at his brother, a bit stunned by what he'd just said. "You can't be serious."

"No… thank goodness for small favors." Regulus cruelly turned the familiar joke back on Sirius.

"Well, at least hanging around with him has taught you to recognize a joke."

"I learned that watching you - however sad and pathetic it might be."

When had Regulus become so spiteful? "Better sad and pathetic than a blind, dumb sheep."

"Seems to me, I'm not the black sheep, here."

"No, because in this family that would mean you had a brain and could think for yourself."

"Sirius!" his mother finally intervened. "You insult not only Regulus but this entire family. Can we not even have a simple meal without you causing problems?"

"Fine." Sirius stood up. "I'll be in my room. I've lost my appetite anyway." He turned his back on his family and went to his room. Kreacher had already unpacked his belongings. "Kreacher!" Sirius called.

It took almost two full minutes for the house elf to respond. "Yes, master," he croaked.

"I told you not to unpack my things."

"Mistress wants you settled in, master."

"Why?... Oh never mind. You're dismissed." Sirius carefully repacked everything. He knew the house elf would simply unpack the next chance he got, so Sirius bewitched everything to return to the trunk if it was moved. That way, he wouldn't have to repack every day.

The next day, Sirius was ignored except for right after lunch. His mother had sought him out, declaring his appearance was a travesty and only mudblood and blood-traitors would allow their appearance to become so careless. It wasn't until he was fighting off a pair of bewitched scissors that he remembered he'd let his hair grow out. He was pleasantly pleased at the distress it caused his mother. Fortunately for him, he'd gotten better at magic – spells and shields – and the scissors failed in their mission. At supper time, Mrs. Black didn't talk to him, but she kept glaring at him and muttering about his hair. It really took quite a bit of self control for Sirius not to burst out laughing at the woman.

Christmas came quickly, and that evening James contacted Sirius. Peter and Remus were on the other end with James.

"How's your Christmas going, Padfoot?" James asked.

"Bloody marvelous," Sirius answered sarcastically. "And I get the best Christmas present ever tomorrow."

"What's that?" Remus asked.

"Snivellus. He's coming for a visit."

"Bugger," James remarked.

"So…" Sirius began, changing his tone and mood. "London tomorrow? We can meet up at the Leaky Cauldron."

"I don't know…" James said.

"Prongs. Pleeeeaaaasssse. I'm going stir crazy here and, as much as I love messing with that little greaseball, I don't want to be here while he is. Don't make me resort to begging." With that, Sirius changed into his dog form and sat on his hind end, his front paws up in the air.

Laughter came from the other side of the mirror, though Remus said, "All right, all right. Now turn back before you get caught."

Sirius returned to human form, grinning broadly. "So? Are we on?"

"Yes," James laughed. "What time?"

"Eight?"

"Pads, you do realize you're the only one who gets up that early on a holiday, right?"

"Gets up? At eight? I was planning on having had breakfast by then. Fine. I'll be there by eight. You show up when you get the chance. If I'm not there, I'll be in Diagon Alley."

"But where?" James asked.

"Just use the mirror. Oh, hey. Do any of you have muggle clothes?"

"We're all shorter than you, Sirius. So even if we did, they wouldn't fit."

"Hmm. Right…"

"Okay. Sirius, be careful."

Sirius grinned again. "You know me."

"I think that was his point," Remus teased.

"Good night, Moony," Sirius said, in mock anger.

"Good night, Padfoot," Remus answered sweetly.

"Good night, Prongs."

"Good night, Pads."

"Good night, Wormtail."

"Night, Padfoot. See you tomorrow."

The next day, Sirius woke bright and early. He ate breakfast and headed back to his room, only to sneak out the window. Walking for about ten minutes, he didn't really care where he ended up; he just needed to be far enough away that his parents would not hear the Knight Bus. Then he put out his wand.

_BANG_! The vibrantly purple Knight Bus appeared before him. Having snuck out of the Malfoys' on several occasions this past summer, he found the Knight Bus the best way to get around. He had even become somewhat familiar with the greeter, Ernie, and found he rather enjoyed the violence of the ride.

"Hey Ern. Leaky Cauldron, please." Sirius handed Ernie the bus fare and took a seat. He knew from experience that, at night, all of the seats were converted into beds. He had spent a couple of hours one night just riding the bus. He started the evening lying in a bed, letting the bus jar the bed back and forth with its sudden starts and stops. Then he rode the bed like a surf board to see if he could maintain his balance. But today he had somewhere to be.

When the bus jerked to a stop in front of the familiar wizard inn, Sirius used the momentum of the jolt to casually lift him out of his seat, and he headed for the door. "Later, Ern."

Ernie waved goodbye to the young man.

Sirius entered The Leaky Cauldron and looked around. His friends weren't there yet, but he was early, even for the eight o'clock time. He decided his first trip should be to Gringotts. There he could withdraw some money from his account and exchange it for muggle money. He then wandered the shops for a while until, finally, at ten o'clock, he felt his mirror vibrate. He headed to a small walkway between two stores so he could talk into the mirror inconspicuously.

"Prongs. You at The Leaky Cauldron?"

James yawned broadly, "Yeah. We just got here."

Sirius snickered. "Right. I'll be there in a few."

The others were eating breakfast by the time he arrived at the inn. "You haven't eaten yet?" Sirius asked, somewhat frustrated now. He was ready for their great London adventure to begin.

"No. We did. But Peter got hungry and his food looked good… So we're eating again." James looked a little embarrassed. Sirius sighed and sat down with them, picking food off of each of their plates. It had been longer since he had last eaten.

"Anybody have any place specific they want to go?" Remus asked.

"Why don't we just walk and see where it takes us?" James suggested.

"Good, but I think we should take the bus downtown first," Sirius said. "There will be more things to do there."

"Can we go to a Cinema?" Peter asked excitedly.

"Sure," James answered.

"We should get a tour guide," Sirius grinned.

"Like whom?" Remus asked.

Sirius glanced at James. "Like Gillette."

The others thought it sounded like a good idea. It would be nice to have some idea where they were going. So Sirius stuck out his wand again and the Knight Bus appeared, causing Peter to squeak and jump nearly a foot off the ground.

"Wow, didn't know you could jump that high," Sirius snarked. He told Ernie the Beynon's address. They arrived, after two other stops, a block from Gillette's house.

Sirius walked up to her home and knocked. A woman he had not seen before answered the door. "Uh… is Gillette Beynon here?"

The woman smiled pleasantly. "Yes, of course. Come in. You must be cold." She let them into the house, calling over her shoulder, "Gillette."

After a few seconds, Gillette came down the stairs. "Sirius!" Her eyes lit up and she took a running leap at him.

He caught her and said, "Hey love. We were just in London," he indicated the others with his hand and, once Sirius put her down, she greeted them with hugs, "and wondered if you would give us a tour."

"Hmm," she said, grinning. "Hold on. I have company," she glanced at James when she said this, then continued, "I'll see if she's up for it."

Sirius rocked on the heels of his feet, grinning. James noticed he had that mischievous glint in his eyes that told him seeing Gillette wasn't his only reason for choosing her as tour guide.

Another two minutes went by before Gillette came back down the stairs. She had a hold of Lily's hand and was dragging her behind.

"Guess I should ask my Dad," Gillette said, and left Lily standing with the Marauders, Sirius still grinning wickedly. James was grinning too, now. Remus had rolled his eyes, but was intensely interested in the new development. It was like watching a train wreck, and he wondered how bad it would get by the end of the day. Peter stood in the background, his mouth slightly open, taking in everything that was going on. He wondered if Sirius had known Lily was going to be here.

"Have a nice Christmas, Evans?" Sirius asked.

Lily shrugged. "It's nice being with Gillette."

"Okay," Gillette reappeared. "Where do you want to go?"

"Clothes," Sirius said, surprising everyone. "We're going to be in Muggle London, I think we should look the part."

"Oo. Fun. I've always wanted a life-sized Ken doll," Gillette teased. The two girls giggled, while the guys frowned. None of them were familiar with the reference. "Let's go. I know a couple great shopping places, right Lils?"

Lily nodded. As they stepped outside, she frowned. "How exactly are we getting there?"

"Knight Bus," Sirius said excitedly and stuck out his wand.

"Oh joy." Remus was not nearly as excited. The Knight Bus made him a bit seasick. Lily and Gillette, who had never ridden the Knight Bus, looked curiously at him.

The two girls startled at its abrupt arrival. When they boarded the bus, Gillette gave the location and the bus jolted to a start. Both girls screamed at the unexpected start, but ended up giggling most of the trip due to the guys' antics, and probably nerves.

The lot of them stumbled off the bus and onto the busy London sidewalk. They took just a minute to orient themselves.

"There has got to be a better way to travel," Peter said, looking rather green. Remus and Gillette nodded in agreement.

"Oi," Gillette breathed. "Okay. This way." Gillette led them to the clothing store where she shopped for clothes. She and Lily picked out a few outfits for the guys, then browsed the ladies section of the store.

Once the guys were finally dressed, the girls made them walk the length of the dressing area. They whistled and cat-called as the guys strutted their stuff, much to the embarrassment of Remus and Peter, while Sirius and James hammed it up, making the girls laugh in spite of themselves.

They paid for their clothes and headed out for a day of fun. They went to a cinema to watch a movie. Lily decided it would be fun to take them to a 3-D special screening.

"There is no way I'm wearing these glasses," James said in disgust.

"Yes, you are, Potter, or you'll miss the fun," Lily insisted.

Lily and Gillette were both highly amused at the guys' reaction to the 3-D images. Sirius kept trying to reach out and touch the objects in front of him. James kept taking off the glasses, muttering about muggle magic. Peter was enthralled by the movie; and Remus couldn't decide which was more entertaining, the movie or his friends.

Sirius and James kept the glasses on most of the rest of the day, despite every effort on the part of Gillette, Lily and Remus to explain that they only worked for the movie. It became a joke with them; Sirius and James kept claiming they could see things in 3-D, and then acting like they were being attacked by random objects. Lily finally got tired of their antics and took their glasses from them.

They went to an appliance store, because the Marauders were fascinated by the electric appliances. James wanted to buy a popcorn popper, but Lily insisted it wouldn't work at the school. Next they went to a toy store, and all of them had great fun until the proprietor decided he'd had enough and chased them all out. Then they went into a record store. Peter was familiar with some of the music because his mum listened to muggle music whenever she got the chance, but the others flipped through the records and stood, just listening to the music as it came over the speakers in the store.

It was while at the music store that Sirius saw something he'd never seen before and immediately fell in love.

"Prongs," Sirius said in a hushed voice. "I'll be right back." He practically floated out of the store.

James shrugged and continued going through the records, asking Lily and Gillette what the music was like.

Sirius walked outside and stood, mouth slightly open, in front of a shiny black and silver motorbike. He stepped closer and reached out to touch the handlebars.

"Hey!"

Sirius looked around and saw a rather large, burly man in leather walk up to him. "Stay away from the bike."

"Sorry. It's just…"

The man's face softened at the look on Sirius' face. "Beautiful?" he finished.

Sirius nodded. "Are you… 'Harley Davidson'?"

The man gave him a funny look and then chuckled. "No kid. That's the company that makes these."

"Like a Nimbus," Sirius said more to himself. Brooms were made by different companies, and not all brooms were created equal.

The man frowned again, "I haven't heard of that one. You ever ride a bike before?"

"No." Sirius hadn't taken his eyes off the bike since the big man first interrupted his gazing.

"Huh. You should come by my shop. I've got a lot of different models there. Even have a school to teach ya how to ride."

Sirius' eyes snapped over to the man in interest. "Really?"

"Sure. Here's my card." The man handed Sirius a business card.

"Thanks." He took another look at the bike. "Thank you," he said again, taking the card and then shaking the man's hand. The man mounted his bike and started her up.

Sirius grinned at the sound. It was loud, but to him it purred of desire and freedom. The man put on his helmet and rode away.

Sirius re-entered the music store, a dreamy look in his eye. Remus had been watching the exchange through the window of the store. He walked up and put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Don't worry mate, there's one out there for you, too."

Sirius nodded and said, absently, "I need leather pants." At this, Remus chuckled and walked away, shaking his head.

After the record store, they decided to get a bite to eat. By the time they were finished eating, it was getting late and the girls needed to get home. The Marauders rode with them on the Knight Bus, making sure they arrived safely, before dropping Peter, Remus and James at the Potters home.

Sirius was the last to get to his house. Every step from the Knight Bus to his house felt like drudgery. He was already tired from the long day. He half wanted to remain out, but it was December, which meant it was cold. He didn't have anywhere else to go, so he just kept walking toward the house and snuck back into his room.

So far so good. He suddenly realized he was still wearing his muggle cloths. He quickly changed and hid them between the mattresses of his bed. Kreacher had, in fact, been unpacking his trunk every day, so he couldn't put them in there. And he couldn't put them in his wardrobe in case his parents wanted him to wear something for some occasion or other, in which case, Kreacher would lay out his clothes and most likely find them. So it was under the mattress they went. He crawled into bed, content with how the day went – James and Lily had actually gotten along and everyone had fun. He fell asleep dwelling on his new love and wondering how much he would have to save to be able to buy a bike right out of school, though he probably already had enough in his account. At least his parents had given him that.

- - - - -

A/N - Well... It was kind of Christmas-y, eh?

A note about Regulus: I love the Regulus character. I think he's wonderfully complex - a boy caught between expectation, disappointment, fear, and who he really is deep inside (because I believe he was a lot more like his brother than he let on). He does, however, sometimes get lost trying to figure out who he is. All that to say, he was a bit annoying in this chapter - even to me, but I really do like the boy. Anyway...

Thank you to all who have read and to those who review. I love hearing what y'all think. Thank you for keeping with me through this adventure. And special thanks to my betas – Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. You know (hopefully) how much I love you. Thank you.

Nonair - Thank you very much. I'm glad the scene came across well with Remus as a thinking, rational werewolf (at least somewhat) and the boys being there for the first time. I hope you have a lovely and relaxing holiday. Thanks again.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 65

Sirius awoke in the morning and headed to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. When he was finished, he headed toward the stairs, passing the dining room along the way.

"Sirius!" his mother called in her usual biting tone. Sirius sighed and went to the door leading into the formal eating area. He had temporarily forgotten that Snivellus was staying with them for a few days. Though Snivellus was occupying his usual seat at the table, Sirius felt some pleasure in the fact that, despite the other boy's beliefs, he did not appear to fit in with the family. His posture and clothes spoke of a lower class than the Blacks and, while that had not ever mattered to Sirius before, he felt a sort of grim satisfaction that he would not be so easily replaced. He supposed that was rather selfish, since he wanted nothing more than to be free of his family.

"Yes, mother," Sirius replied.

"Where were you yesterday?"

"Well, I came downstairs to eat breakfast and then I went back to my room." Sirius was thinking quickly to come up with some cover story. He decided that the less he said, the better.

"And then where did you go?"

"I can assure you, I didn't step foot in any other room of the house. I was only in my room – and my bathroom." Sirius was rather pleased with how he'd circumvented that question, though he didn't know if it would actually work or not.

His mother looked at him suspiciously. "Why didn't you answer when I called you down?"

Sirius shrugged, trying to look unconcerned. "Maybe I was sleeping."

"Lazy boy," Mrs. Black responded, more out of a habit of criticizing him than because she actually believed him.

Snape was staring intently at Sirius. "Maybe," he began, "he snuck out. He's been known to do that at school."

Sirius' fists clenched in anger and he glared at Snivellus.

"Hmm," Mrs. Black smirked at her son. "Yes. He's been known to do that here, too." She seemed to think for a moment about what to do. "Kreacher, search his room."

"What?!" Sirius yelled indignantly.

"Something to hide?" Mrs. Black asked. She was beginning to look dangerous. All mirth at having caught her son doing something wrong was being burned away with the anger of his betrayal and disgrace to the Black Name.

Sirius stood his ground, saying nothing; his own anger beginning to flare. He waited from his position in the doorway for no less than twenty minutes. Mrs. Black, Regulus and Snivellus were seated around the table finishing their breakfasts, occasionally casting glances at him.

When Kreacher returned, he was holding the jeans and t-shirt Sirius had worn the day before. He handed them to Mrs. Black. "Kreacher finds these between young master's mattresses. Young master also hides muggle money in his pockets." Kreacher cast Sirius a disgusted look.

_Feeling's mutual_. Sirius waited for yelling to commence. He only hoped that she would at least take him to a separate room, rather than displaying her displeasure in front of the only person who could make his chewing-out more unbearable. He wasn't so lucky.

Mrs. Black's eyes bulged at the sight of the muggle items. She slowly rose from her seat, as if standing would help to inflate her lungs and free them from any obstructions that would dampen the effect of her voice. Then she started yelling.

It had been a long time since Sirius had had the "pleasure" of one of Mrs. Black's lectures, and he was a bit out of practice at shutting out the considerable volume and sound of her voice. At one point in her tirade, she ordered Kreacher to burn his muggle clothes and money. He wasn't really listening to what, exactly, she was saying, but the fact that Snivellus was sitting with front row seat to this spectacular show, and wearing an immensely smug grin, made the whole experience rather humiliating. Sirius stood, staring at a spot on the floor a few feet in front of him, willing her to stop.

To Sirius' surprise, it was his father who finally rescued him. Mr. Black walked into the room and, during a pause in the yelling – no doubt Mrs. Black needed to catch her breath – he spoke to his wife, "Walburga, don't forget about the appointment today." Sirius wasn't sure if his father had really come in just to remind his mother of the appointment or if he couldn't take the yelling anymore either, but Sirius was grateful anyway.

Mrs. Black looked confused for a moment, having to redirect the flow of her thoughts. "Oh yes," she said in an almost pleasant voice. "Boys, go get ready," she directed her comment to Regulus and Severus. "As for you," her voice returned to a malevolent growl, "you will return to your room. Kreacher – you're back on guard duty."

As Regulus and Snape caught up with Sirius as they all headed upstairs, Snape chuckled. "Not so special now, are you, _Padfoot_?" he whispered.

"One of these days, _Snivellus_," Sirius whispered back, "you'll find that extra long nose of yours is going to get you into trouble. And Snivellus," Sirius added as an afterthought, "only my brothers get to call me that." Sirius cast a quick glance at Regulus before turning away to go to his room. He was being outright belligerent, he knew, but Regulus had done nothing over this holiday to indicate they had ever been brothers. However, Sirius was hurt and humiliated, so he lashed out at whom he could and by the look on Regulus' face, he knew the comment hit its mark.

As he sat in his room, he decided that, really, the day of fun and freedom had been worth it. Yesterday gave him hope for what the future could bring and he would cling to that "better tomorrow" until he escaped from this prison. He also made a note to himself to ask Addison for a few of his magazines so he could decorate his wall and _really_ irritate his mother.

The rest of the holiday went by without incident. He was not able to venture out again, and he spent the time in self imposed solitary confinement, but at least he didn't have to deal with anyone, family or snake.

The train ride back to the school was the first time he was really able to relax, though.

"Did you get in trouble?" Remus asked.

Sirius snorted. "You know, I almost got away with it, actually."

"Really?" Remus spocked his eyebrow.

"Yeah. You'll never believe who hammered the nail in my coffin." Sirius waited to build the anticipation. "Snivellus."

"What?" James was aghast.

"Slimy git. He stayed for a few days as a friend of Regulus'."

"Well, this calls for some payback, I do believe," James said eagerly, causing Sirius to smile.

Remus stood up.

"Where you going, Moony?" Sirius asked.

"Nu-uh. I can't hear this. I'm going to visit Aden."

James smirked. "Nice excuse, now sit down. We haven't planned anything while you were around all year, we won't start now – though thanks for the help on a few of those get-aways."

Sirius added, "Besides, I haven't heard about your time with Aden yet and I'm feeling rather cheated."

Remus rolled his eyes, but he smiled and sat back down. "There's not much to tell, really. We had a nice time with her family. I was able to meet her parents and her brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts… It was a bit overwhelming, actually." Remus' smile turned slowly into a frown.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"Her family is very close… And Aden hinted that she was looking forward to a large family of her own."

"Whoa. Little young for that aren't you?" Sirius asked.

Remus gave him a look like he was being an idiot. "Not right now, obviously, but… I don't really think she's thought about what life with me would really be like."

"Okay, I repeat… Aren't you a little young to be thinking about that?"

"Padfoot, just because you haven't gone on more than one date with any girl, doesn't mean that the rest of us haven't thought about… oh, I don't know… the _future_. Besides, this is the year that we plan our career course and pretty much decide what job we want." Peter moaned at this thought, causing James and Sirius to snicker. "Why not think about the rest of the future, too?"

"You're not planning on proposing or anything, are you?" Sirius asked, sounding a bit like a five-year-old who still believes girls have cooties.

"No. I'm just saying…"

"Have you talked with her about it?" James asked.

Remus frowned again. "No."

"Well, maybe you should before you start jumping to conclusions."

"Right." Remus sat, lost in thought for a few minutes. "I gotta go. I have rounds for the second half of the trip. See you at the castle."

James watched Remus leave, a frown on his own face.

"What?" Sirius asked.

James shook his head. "I really hope Aden's thought about what she's doing, or it's going to tear him apart."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sirius announced, "I'm bored."

James smirked. "Shall we?"

The three Marauders got up and started traveling the length of the train. They visited friends, chatting and joking along the way. They convinced a couple of first-years that the [nonexistent return of term ceremony was much more interesting than the sorting hat, and a bit dangerous. At least, they had them convinced until Lily came around and found out what they were doing. She immediately went about calming the first-years and threatened to hex James and Sirius if they didn't leave the younger students alone. They took this warning to heart and instead turned to the compartment that had Regulus and Snivellus in it. Deciding that subtle was best with both Remus and Lily on patrol, they sealed the compartment door closed.

Laughing on their way back to their own compartment, Sirius said, "I hope they didn't have too much pumpkin juice earlier."

During the first week back to class, Professor Whistler announced the next assignment. All of the theoretical work from the previous term would now be put to the test. The cement egg was in play, meaning that the first house to be able to steal it from Whistler's own fortifications, would then be responsible for protecting it as long as they could. Due to the fact that first-years would not have a chance against seventh-years, the professor had decided that the entire house would work together to guard or steal the egg from the other houses. Whichever house had the egg at the end of the term would receive points toward the house cup in addition to classroom points. The team that managed to hang onto the egg the longest would also receive points. In order to ensure that all students learned something, they each had to turn in a paper explaining what their house did to both steal and protect the egg, as well as the mistakes that had been made. Since the younger students probably wouldn't be much help against the older students, this way they could at least learn what had been done, even if they couldn't duplicate it yet.

The only rule was that the egg could not be hidden in the common rooms. It would not do well for students from other houses to gain entrance in each others' common rooms.

The seventh-years of Gryffindor soon discovered that they had a wealth of resources at their disposal. Remus and Lily were among the smartest and the most capable researchers of their year, if not their house. Sirius and James had a talent for magic, as well as a talent for thinking out of the box. Peter was uncanny in his ability to gather intelligence on the other teams (he found his rat form helped him immensely). And the bravery of Gryffindors in general meant they were willing to take risks that many other students would be too intimidated to take.

Each of the other teams had their strengths as well. The Ravenclaws were incredibly good at planning and figuring ways past defenses. What the Hufflepuffs lacked in book smarts and power, they made up for in tenacity and teamwork. Slytherins used any means necessary to find out what they could, and they had some very talented witches and wizards. They also had one advantage the other houses didn't have, at least against Gryffindor. Despite the fact that Regulus did not quite match his brother in talent, he was still smart. He also had some years of pranking with and against his older brother, so there were times he could anticipate what Sirius was going to do or how he would handle an obstacle. And Snape was talented at more than just potions. He had taken much more of an interest in creating his own spells of late, which added a bit of unpredictability to the Slytherin defenses.

The Ravenclaws were the first to get the egg. Sirius suggested that Gryffindor wait to snatch the egg until the other teams had gotten a hold of it. This would give them an opportunity to study the other teams' defenses and see what worked and what didn't, allowing for a stronger Gryffindor defense. The only concern was if a team got hold of the egg and held onto it for a period of time. Peter suggested that they don't let any one team hold the egg for more than a week. They could find subtle ways to lower the defenses of the holding team and/or give hints to the other teams trying to grab the egg. That way, nobody would have the egg for too long, and Gryffindor would still get a chance to size up its opponents.

There was stunned silence following this suggestion, as everyone wondered where Peter had come up with the idea. He was quickly patted on the back and congratulated by his fellow housemates for his cleverness, and the plan was put into action.

By the first Saturday of February, no team had managed to hold on to the egg for more than a week, and few had it that long. Gryffindor was just about ready to make their move when they got… distracted. It was time for Gryffindor's second quidditch match of the year. Having lost the first one, this game was vitally important if they wanted any chance of getting to the Quidditch Cup. Slytherin had lost to Ravenclaw, which increased Gryffindor's chances of still making it in.

James practiced with his team regularly. The entire team had discussed the mistakes from the last game, as well as the more spectacular moves. James continued to have random extra "practices," which varied from an organized game of football to a snowball battle. Anything he could do to build awareness and camaraderie, he tried at least once. And the team was responding.

Up until this year, James knew he was popular but, if asked who his friends were, he would only name three. He now considered the entire Quidditch team to be friends and, with the on-going egg project, he had never felt more connected to the rest of his house as well.

So when the second game came around, the egg project took a back seat as everyone rallied around their Quidditch team and its captain. This game was against Hufflepuff. The Slytherins were rooting for Hufflepuff due to its long-standing tradition that Slytherin would never cheer on Gryffindor, and Gryffindor returned the favor, never cheering on Slytherin. Ravenclaw was somewhat divided on who to root for. Having lost to Hufflepuff this year, many of them wanted Hufflepuff to lose. This kept the teams fairly even in their chances of making it to the Cup. But several Ravenclaws just didn't believe that the young Gryffindor team had a chance.

They were very wrong. In what turned out to be the shortest game of the season, Gryffindor trounced Hufflepuff 170 to 10. The game ended after about fifteen minutes, thanks to the Gryffindor seeker, Jules.

The Gryffindor stands erupted in applause and cheers, and the students quickly streamed from the stands to congratulate the team. The party went on long into the night. Sirius and Remus snuck out to bring back butterbeer for the party, and Peter went to the kitchens to grab some food. James would have helped but, being the captain of the team, his absence would have been noticed. He didn't mind, though. He suddenly had an audience of students, especially younger students, hanging on his every word, wanting to hear stories about Quidditch matches and a recap of the game. As the night wore on and the younger students nodded off, either in their dorms or in various places throughout the common room, James found himself surrounded by students of the female persuasion.

"And Evans thought he had a big head before," Sirius whispered to Remus. Remus snorted his agreement. Peter was hanging around the fringes of the group that surrounded James, listening to his every word.

Finally, at around eleven, James pulled himself away from his adoring fans, grabbed Peter with an arm around his neck, and came over to the other two.

Sirius gave him a measuring look.

"What?" James asked casually, still grinning.

"I'm just surprised your glasses haven't broken."

"Why?" James took off his glasses and examined them.

"With the way that head swelled today, I would have thought they would have snapped in half," Sirius grinned.

"Ha ha." James made a face at Sirius and sat in the armchair that had pretty much become known as "James' chair."

"So I was thinking," Sirius turned to look at Remus. "We should leave the shack on Wednesday."

Remus, who was drinking the last of his butterbeer, choked and coughed. Sirius patted him on the back a couple of times until he finally got the coughing under control. "What?"

"Uh… I think you heard me, and I don't want to repeat it and cause you to choke again."

"Are you insane?!" Remus exclaimed.

Sirius looked over at James who was frowning, but not in a disappointed way, more in the deep-thinking kind of way. "I don't think so. Look. Prongs and I are more than capable of keeping you in line. And think of the places we could explore. We'd stay away from the school… and the village. We could go to The Forbidden Forest."

"You're daft," Remus said weakly. This was crazy. Dangerous. And crazy. He couldn't actually leave his sanctuary. Not just for his own protection, but what if… What if he got away from James and Sirius? And Dumbledore. Dumbledore trusted him. He was only allowed to attend Hogwarts because he'd agreed to follow the guidelines that had been laid before him. He'd never once considered breaking them before. And yet… He glanced over at James.

James was looking between Sirius and Remus, both of whom, it seemed, were looking to him to make the final decision, or at least try to persuade the other to his viewpoint. He knew it could be dangerous, but he had to agree with Sirius. They could both keep Remus under control, he thought. And it would be the most exciting adventure any of them had ever been on… maybe ever would be on. It was at this thought that James started to grin.

Sirius got excited, while Remus sank lower into the couch, and Peter stared wide-eyed at James for even considering it. Remus might have been able to hold off one of them, but he knew he wouldn't stand against both. And part of him didn't want to. He'd spent his whole life rigidly following rules - rules, he admitted, were in place for very good reasons. But what would it be like to be free? He glanced at Peter. By the look on his face, he was the only one not in complete agreement, but Remus knew that Peter would never fight a decision made by James or Sirius. He seemed to have complete confidence in them.

"Moony," James began.

Remus held up his hand. "No. We… I can't. You know that. It's too…"

"Dangerous?" James finished. "Like Padfoot said, we can handle you. Besides… Think of the adventure. And if… _if_… something should happen… The three of us," here James swept his arm to include Sirius and Peter both, "can certainly stun a werewolf. Or one of us could return to the school and get help. But nothing's going to happen. Not when we're with you."

Remus sighed. "Prongs, we're risking people's lives…"

"Not if we stick to the forest," Sirius jumped in. "There won't be any people. It'll work. You'll be fine. And no one will know. Come on," Sirius pleaded.

"You really are a dog, Padfoot," Remus joked. Sirius nodded his head in an exaggerated, but very dog-like, manner. "Let me think about it."

"Yesss," Sirius hissed excitedly.

"I didn't say 'yes,'" Remus cautioned.

"Close enough," Sirius replied. "Besides, who one can resist this face?"

Remus rolled his eyes, while James grunted. Remus had until Wednesday to try to talk them out of it, or be talked into it. He had a feeling he knew which way it was going to go anyway.

- - - - -

A/N - Okay. I know that Snape used Sirius' nickname in this chapter. I also know that in Rowlings books - in canon - Snape did not recognize the names on the map. I know that some people don't like when the nicknames are used "publicly" in a Marauders story, but there are several reasons why I chose to take the other angle, not the least of which being that if Snape could figure out something was up with the boys leaving once a month, he would also figure out they had nicknames whether it was public knowledge or not. Plus, it's just easier to use the nicknames than not. :) So, I apologize for straying from canon here. Maybe the confounded Snape later in life and he forgot the nicknames. Ooo... I might have to use that. Hee hee.

Anyway, thank you all for the wonderful reviews and words of encouragement. Welcome newcomers. And thank you to my wonderful support team - mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. I hope y'all had a lovely Christmas, whether you celebrate it or not.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 66

Wednesday arrived all too quickly for Remus. Over the last few days Sirius and James had been working on eroding any inhibitions Remus had about leaving the shack for the night. One of the problems that had stumped them was knowing the time. They had to have enough time to get back to the shack before Madam Pomfrey came and got Remus.

Wednesday morning, when the post arrived, Sirius received a small package. The others looked at him curiously. He grinned and put the box in his bag for later.

"Are you going to tell us what that is?" James asked.

"Later. Let's just say, I figured out our time problem."

Peter looked tired and confused. "Are we late again?"

Remus smirked. "No Wormtail. Here, more coffee."

Sirius frowned, looking offended. "How come you don't ever offer me coffee?"

"Because," Remus said matter-of-factly, "you don't have trouble waking up in the morning. Besides, I don't think we could handle a caffeinated Padfoot."

Later that day, when the guys had returned to their dorms for free period, Sirius pulled out the box. He opened it and carefully pulled out… a steel slip-chain.

"What is that?" Remus asked irritably. Being the day of a full moon, he was already agitated. Seeing a dog collar only exacerbated the feeling. He watched as Sirius muttered some spell over it and then slipped the chain through the ring to make a loop.

"It's a collar, my good man," Sirius said grinning and holding it up in front of Remus' face.

"Get it away from me." Remus growled.

Sirius frowned, his happy bubble punctured by Remus' steely words. He slipped the chain over his head and began to rummage through his trunk.

"What is it for?" Remus asked, speaking slowly, not having received a satisfactory explanation yet.

"Ah," Sirius said quietly, having found what he was looking for. Finally turning back to Remus, he said, "Sorry mate. I didn't…" Sirius seemed at a loss for words. Never having been in Remus' basement, he had no idea how much the slip chain reminded Remus of the collar and chains used on him when he was younger, though in retrospect he could understand Remus' discomfort. "Look," he held up a small wizard's timepiece. "I figured I could attach it to the chain and then we'll know what time it is when we go out tonight."

Remus sighed. Sirius was just trying to help work out the bugs of their adventure for tonight. And though Remus hadn't officially given the go-ahead, the whole week thus far had been gearing up for tonight. It would seem almost anti-climactic if they didn't leave the shack. "It's not going to matter. Once you change into…" Remus looked around, even though he knew no one was there besides James and Peter. "Anyway, the chain will disappear – like your clothes."

"No," Sirius grinned. "I just charmed it so that it will stay on me and visible."

"You can do that?" James stepped up to the two, joining in the conversation.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I found it in one of the books in The Room."

"Nice," Peter joined in too.

"Wait. You're reading the books?" James asked sarcastically.

Sirius, trying to get the time piece to fit on the chain, looked up from his fumbling and swatted James' shoulder.

Remus sighed again, took the magical clock from him, and deftly attached it to the chain. He cast his own spell on the timepiece. Looking up, he saw the curious looks of the others. "I've set it to glow thirty minutes before sunrise. That way we'll notice it better." James and Sirius grinned like they'd just received the best birthday present ever, and Remus couldn't help but smile back. "So what's a little rule breaking, danger, and mischief among friends?"

That night, they made their way out onto the school grounds and skirted the edge of the forest, searching for a stick or rock they could use to prop open the door so they could get out and back in later, without anyone having to return to human form to say the spell that unlocked the door. Once they found what they were looking for, they headed to the shack.

It was agreed that Remus would transform upstairs so that James and Sirius could station themselves at the door and prevent him from bolting before they were ready for him.

As soon as Remus transformed into the wolf, he darted downstairs. His tail wagged in greeting to the now familiar and anticipated presence of the others. But he also seemed to know tonight was going to be different. He paced impatiently in front of the rat, stag, and dog. They were blocking the door which his keen senses told him was open.

The stag nodded and turned toward the door. The wolf tried to dart forward, but he was effectively blocked by the dog. The dog shook his head as if to say, "Stag first, you follow."

The wolf snorted with impatience, but nodded back.

They made their way at an easy trot down the tunnel. The rat hitched a ride on the stag, taking his regular perch among the stag's antlers. Once they got out of the tunnel, the wolf again tried to bolt. He knew he was near people – closer than he'd ever been before while taking up residence here. But immediately the stag and dog were blocking his path, and they were both quick. Each turn he tried to make, they seemed to anticipate. What was worse, they were herding him away from the scent of people and toward the forest. At last, he decided to give in – forests were good places to hunt, too.

Once inside the forest, the other three animals tensed. It was obviously unfamiliar territory to them. They spent some time sniffing around before the dog caught a scent and beckoned for the others to follow. Every once in a while, during the pursuit, they'd catch a glimpse of something white ahead, but it always eluded them.

They came across a small stream and waded happily for a while, eventually taking up a game of catch-the-fish. The stag would stir up dirt and rocks to force the fish out of hiding, while the rat's sharp eyes searched the water for signs of movement, squeaking when a fish flickered into view. Then the dog and wolf chased and snapped at the fish as they swam by.

Later that night, they caught site of the elusive white creature and took up the pursuit again. They were stopped short, however, when, once they entered a clearing, they found themselves surrounded by the business ends of spears, glinting in the moonlight. The three wizard animagi and the werewolf stood nervously waiting. From the shadows behind the spears, the figures of several centaurs emerged. The centaurs regarded the four curiously.

One stepped forward and spoke. "I do not believe the werewolf has been given permission to roam the forest."

The stag, being the tallest, stared the centaur in the eyes and nodded. In the mean time, the dog crept to his side, effectively placing both the stag and the dog between the spokesman and the wolf.

"We do not harm human young," the centaur continued. "But know this, it," he pointed to Remus, "is not welcome here. We will not aid you in any way here in the forest."

Sirius stepped to the side, then he walked a quarter-circle until he was standing directly before the centaur again. Each spear point he passed, he sniffed, and glanced at the leader.

The centaur understood. "No. We will not harm you either." At a nod of his head, the other centaurs lowered their spears. He nodded again and the rest of his clan vanished back into the trees, remarkably quiet for such large creatures.

James bowed his head in thanks.

"Know, too, that not all of the creatures of this forest are as discriminating as we. To many, you are just prey."

Sirius growled as if to say, "Let them try."

The centaur chuckled slightly, but became very solemn a moment later. "Darkness comes. Hold fast to these friendships." And with a swish of his tail, he was gone.

The others exchanged glances, wondering what to do now. It was the wolf that decided to make the first move, starting a game of tag. They romped and wrestled for a while, when suddenly the chain around the dog's neck began to glow. Tag became chase, as the three large animals lumbered through the forest without care. The rat returned to his perch, occasionally squeaking and tugging on the antlers to make sure the others kept going in the right direction.

Once out of the forest, the wolf continued toward the tree, but looked distractedly at the castle. The stag prodded him in the rear a few times to keep him moving forward, but the wolf didn't fight the others. The rat froze the tree and got the others safely back into the tunnel. Once inside the shack, the dog grabbed the stick that was holding the door open and moved it to the tunnel.

They didn't have to wait long before Remus transformed back into his human form, collapsing from exhaustion onto the floor, but otherwise unharmed. The others waited until they heard Madam Pomfrey collect Remus and leave before they headed back to their dorms. Their biggest concern now was food. This was followed closely by – how were they going to stay awake during classes today?

Chapter 67

Thursday night, when the guys stopped by the hospital wing to pay Remus a visit, they saw he already had company. Sitting next to him on his bed was Aden. They were happily chatting and working on classwork.

Sirius sat down on a chair next to the bed. "You have the whole hospital wing to yourself and you two are doing classwork?" he asked in mock disgust.

"Well," Remus said, grinning, "you never know when someone's going to show up, now do you?"

"Mmm," was the only response Sirius gave – a testimony to how tired he was from the previous night's all-nighter. He leaned back in his chair so it was resting on two legs. Then he locked his fingers behind his head – balancing perfectly so he didn't have to put effort into holding his head up.

Peter lay down in the bed next to Remus' and James lay down across the foot of Remus' bed, his feet dangling off the side.

"Why are you all so tired?" Aden asked.

"Had a late night last night," James said absently.

"I don't suppose any of you took notes today?" Remus asked, smirking at the three of them. To be fair, at least he had gotten sleep.

"All three of us, actually," Sirius said. "I think between the three copies, you might actually get something legible to use."

"Yeah," James added. "Then you can copy it for us."

Aden snickered and rolled her eyes. "Whatever would they do without you?"

"Mmm," Peter groaned and smacked his lips.

"One down," Remus grinned.

"So… how come you're still here?" James asked. "I though Madam Pomfrey would have let you leave by now."

"Well," Remus' eyes held the glint of mischief that most people associated with his friends. "She gave me the option of staying or leaving. And I decided to stay."

"Why?" Sirius frowned.

"Because being here has certain advantages. Like you said earlier – We're alone and relatively uninterrupted."

The front legs of Sirius' chair hit the stone floor, hard. He leaned forward to take a playful swing at Remus, but Aden was in the way, so at the last second Sirius redirected his hand. Unfortunately for him, his tired lack of coordination and the forward momentum of the chair toppled him onto the floor.

Peter rolled over on the bed, while everyone else burst out laughing.

"Very graceful, Pads," James commented.

Blushing and muttering, Sirius sat back down in his chair. "Shut it," he shot back, without any real anger behind it. "Hit him for me, love," Sirius said to Aden while gesturing at Remus.

Still chuckling from Sirius' tumble to the floor, she conceded and playfully hit Remus, though at the same time she said, "Don't call me that again, Sirius."

"Aye-aye," he said with a salute.

"Wait." Remus was also still laughing. "What was that for? Prongs was the one who made the comment."

"You know exactly what that was for," Sirius answered, pointing his finger at Remus. "Behave yourselves tonight."

"Don't worry," Aden smiled sweetly. "Some of us are still innocent."

"Ha! Not with that smile – you vixen you." There was another round of light laughter.

"So why were you up late last night?" Aden asked innocently.

Sirius leaned back in his chair again. He glanced at James, wondering what the best way to answer was.

"We were plotting how to get the egg back from Ravenclaw," James answered easily.

"Oh, so Gryffindor is finally going to join the fray?" Aden challenged jovially.

James spoke up, "Well, you know… When you're conquering on so many fronts, it helps to take things slowly and build your reserves."

"Conquering? I suppose you're referring to your victory over Hufflepuff," Aden asked.

"It wasn't just a victory. It was a trouncing. A well planned and excellently executed maneuver in Gryffindor's quest to rule the school."

"Ah," Aden chuckled. "And what does your next maneuver consist of?"

"Well," Sirius interrupted, "If we told you that, you'd run off and warn your little Ravenclaw friends. Then you'd be able to prepare and… while I do love a challenge, the easy victory is sometimes more satisfying. Especially when we have other conquests in mind."

"Easy?" Aden's house-pride took offense at this statement. "Ravenclaws are not easy."

"You're the one spending the night with a Gryffindor," Sirius grinned.

Aden gasped. Laughing for letting herself step into that trap, she looked around for something to throw at Sirius. Her school books being at hand, she chucked one of them at Sirius.

He dodged it, but the shift in weight caused him to lose his balance on his chair again and he toppled backwards, bringing another wave of laughter from the others.

Lying on the floor, though still in his chair, Sirius moaned pitifully, "Wounded. I'm wounded."

After the laughter died down and Sirius was still on the floor, Aden got up to check on him, wondering if he had actually hurt himself. She saw he was lying on the ground with his eyes closed. "Sirius?" He cracked one eye open to look at her. "Are you all right?"

"Shh," he hushed. "I was almost asleep."

James and Remus chuckled. "I better get these two back to the common room. Night Aden." James waved goodnight to Aden. "'Night Moony." He patted Remus' foot on his way to collect Sirius from the floor. "Get up, Pads." James reached a hand down to help Sirius off the floor.

Sirius groaned, but grabbed hold of the hand and heaved himself off the floor. "What are we going to do about that one?" he asked, motioning to Peter.

James prodded Peter. "Wormtail… Wormtail, get up!"

"It's no good. We'll have to levitate him," Sirius suggested. James nodded and Sirius performed the spell. With a final wave at Remus and Aden, they left the hospital wing and headed to their common room.

Aden watched them leave. "Why 'Wormtail'?"

"Hmm?" Remus was admiring his girlfriend's profile, while playing with her hair.

"Well, I get 'Moony.' And I can see Padfoot – I mean, Sirius is kind of… dog-like."

Remus snorted. "Don't tell him that."

"No, I mean, he's loyal and happy… I can almost picture him as a lab or something, running around with his tongue hanging out."

Remus laughed at this. "And Prongs?"

"Well… That's tricky. But his hair does stick up oddly. Though, I probably would have gone more with 'quills' or 'spike' or something." As Remus continued to chuckle, Aden settled herself in next to him and pulled her books back on her lap. "But why 'Wormtail'? That just… doesn't conjure up pleasant images."

Unable to come up with a suitable reply, Remus stalled. "You'll have to ask Padfoot about that."

"Hmm. Maybe I don't want to know then – not if it's anything like how you got the name 'Moony.'"

Remus chuckled once again. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this content and at ease.

- - - - -

A/N – Chapter 66 was kind of a difficult chapter to write. I can't help but think if they really did have problems (like Remus getting away from the others), then they would not have continued with their jaunts. They were brave and brazen, but not stupid. Sorry if it was a bit anticlimactic, though. Hope you enjoyed it anyway.

Thanks to all who review. I really appreciate it. Thank you all very much. Thanks also to my wonderful betas – Mom, mei mei, and Sifi. Love ya.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer - Same.

Chapter 68

On the way back to the Gryffindor common room, James and Sirius traveled through a few secret passages, headed down some deserted corridors, but were suddenly stopped by an all-too-familiar voice.

"And what are you three up to?"

"Ah, Snivellus…" James turned to face his nemesis. "What drew you from your hole this evening?"

"I could ask you the same question." Scanning the three boys before him, Snape realized Peter was being levitated and was, apparently, unconscious. "What did you do to Pettigrew? Does he no longer amuse you?"

James' facial expression was somewhere between anger or annoyance and confusion. "He's asleep… And what's that supposed to mean, anyway – no longer amuses us?"

"I think you have us confused with your own kind," Sirius commented. "You're the ones that dispose of people who are no longer useful. Besides, some of the most amusing people we know, we can't stand."

"So you admit Peter isn't really a friend, he's just around for your entertainment."

"We never said that," James picked up the conversation again. "Wormtail, here, is very much our friend."

"If you say so… but you didn't answer my question. What are you up to?"

"One – You wouldn't understand our friendship because you have to know what friendship is first," James answered. "And two – Why would we ever tell a git like you what we're up to?"

"Because I can alert a professor that you're out of your common room after hours."

"And you're not?" Sirius asked. There was something dodgy going on here.

"Besides, by the time you find a professor or prefect, we'll be back in our common room," James added, though he saw something flash in Snape's eyes and had a funny feeling he'd just said too much.

"You're so sure of that, are you?" Snape asked coyly. There was no response from the other two. Snape glared at each boy in turn. When he looked at Sirius he frowned, but looking at James, he began to smirk. "Good," he whispered. Without warning, he turned back to Sirius and whipped out his wand, "_Langlock_."

Sirius tried to dodge. Since he was the one guiding Peter, he couldn't use his wand without dropping Peter heavily to the floor. The spell hit him and he felt his tongue suddenly shift to the roof of his mouth. He couldn't move it; it was stuck. He glanced at James, but James already had his wand out and was hurling hexes at Snape, who took off running.

Snape cast a shield charm over his back to block most of the spells James threw. He then turned to face James again and cast two or three spells in rapid succession.

James blocked the first, but missed the second. It hit his hand, and he dropped his wand. He dodged out of the way of the third spell, rolled and retrieved his wand. "_Expelliarmus_!" he yelled, and Snape's wand flew from his fingers.

All three boys jumped when they suddenly heard the cackling sound of Peeves' voice, which seemed magically amplified in the corridor, "Dueling! Students dueling!" A few seconds later, Filch arrived on the scene and kept the four boys from leaving until a professor arrived.

Professor McGonagall's hurried footfalls could be heard coming down an adjoining corridor. "What is going on here?" she demanded when she arrived.

Two of the three conscious teens each started yelling their own version of events.

"Enough!" she held up her hand to silence them.

"Mr. Snape, why are you here?"

"I was heading to my common room from the library." James knew better than to interrupt one of McGonagall's interrogations, so he bit back the almost overwhelming desire to call Snape a liar.

"You're a bit out of the way, aren't you?" Turning to James and Sirius, she asked, "And what's this about dueling?"

"He started it," James pointed at Snape. For once, he was telling the truth and he hoped she would recognize that.

"Mr. Black?" Sirius nodded in agreement with James.

"Nothing to say?" Snape taunted.

"You, young man, are already in serious trouble," Professor McGonagall warned. "I would suggest you keep your mouth shut." Snape nodded his understanding. "Mr. Black – nothing to add?" Sirius shook his head. "And… Mr. Pettigrew?"

"Oh," James sighed, having temporarily forgotten their floating friend. "He fell asleep when we were… visiting a friend. He's very difficult to wake up, so we were levitating him back to the common room."

"So I see." McGonagall actually looked slightly amused that Peter had slept through the commotion – especially Peeves' alarm. "There is to be no magic used in the corridors. You have all been here for five years now. I know you know this. Mr. Snape, I will be speaking with your head of house. He will deal with you."

Snape nodded. He glanced at Sirius and gave him an appraising look. With a smirk, he walked away. Once he was out of sight, McGonagall turned to the members of her own house, "As for you two – a week of detention for fighting in the halls…"

"But…" James started to protest.

"No! No excuses. I somehow doubt that Mr. Snape was lying in wait for you and suddenly started throwing hexes out of the blue. Now… Mr. Potter, you're bleeding. Head to the hospital wing to get that looked at. As for you, Mr. Black, you may escort Mr. Pettigrew back to the common room."

Sirius nodded and walked away with Peter.

When James arrived at the hospital wing, he saw Aden jump off the bed she'd been sitting on, and hide out of sight. James nodded and smiled at Remus, who gave him a confused look.

"Madam Pomfrey?" James called. He looked at the cut on his hand. It didn't look that bad, but it hadn't stopped bleeding yet, either.

"Yes dear?" she replied as she bustled out of her evening quarters.

"I um… got into a fight and was scratched."

Madam Pomfrey looked at James' hand and frowned. She muttered a spell, but it had little effect on the cut. She retrieved a balm from her stores, and rubbed it over the cut. While soothing, it didn't heal or change the cut in any way. "What was the spell used to do this?" she asked.

"I… I don't know. I didn't hear it."

"Who cast the spell?"

"Sniv… I mean, Snape."

"Hmm." Madam Pomfrey's frown deepened and she tutted in disapproval. She cast three more spells. The third one finally started to mend the cut, so she cast it a few more times until the cut was finally healed. "Very well. There you are. Good night, dear."

"Thank you, ma'am. May I say goodnight to Remus."

"Yes, of course," Madam Pomfrey sounded slightly distracted, but James thanked her again and headed over to see Remus.

"Hey Aden," he whispered, with a grin on his face. Smiling, and blushing slightly, she looked up at him from her position crouched on the floor. James then explained to Remus what had happened.

"Hmm," Remus said thoughtfully.

"You're beginning to sound like Madam Pomfrey," James joked.

Remus chuckled. "Padfoot didn't say anything?"

James shook his head. "No. Weird, huh?"

"And what was the spell cast on him?"

"Um… _Langlock_."

Remus pondered this a minute. "I wonder if he can't talk."

James frowned. "He wouldn't be stupid enough not to say anything, would he?" Remus just raised his eyebrows. "Right… This is Sirius we're talking about."

"He probably just didn't want Snivellus to have the satisfaction of knowing the curse worked."

"Well, I think he knew anyway."

"Right. You know, maybe we should join Padfoot when he practices those occlumency exercises."

"What? You think Snivellus might be a legilimence?"

"Probably not fully. But he does seem to have a talent for picking up on the truth of things."

"Hmm."

Remus smirked. "It's catching."

James snorted. "Yeah. Goodnight Moony. 'Night Aden." He whispered the last statement. She waved at him from the floor.

James returned to the common room to find out that Remus was right. Sirius was unable to talk, and too stubborn to get help. He wrote a note indicating he was hoping it would wear off with time, and by breakfast it had done so.

"Why didn't you say anything to McGonagall?" James asked Sirius over some sausages.

"This is between us and that cretin. Besides, I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing the spell worked."

"Moony," James grinned. They performed the shortened version of the Marauders' handshake in greeting, while James continued speaking with Sirius. "Do you really think he invented both of those spells? And then waited to test them on us?"

Sirius nodded while placing more bacon and eggs on his plate.

"Listen to this," Remus got their attention. "Dumbledore came to see Madam Pomfrey this morning. I overheard her tell him about that cut on your hand, Prongs," Remus pointed at James' hand. "Dumbledore didn't look too happy about it, but I don't know what they'll do, if anything. Aside from getting detention for performing magic… and dueling in the halls… there's no rule against creating your own spells."

Peter stared at the others. "I can't believe I missed all that."

Sirius snorted. "Honestly, Wormtail. You could be lying on an island, in the middle of a hurricane, and not know it. Mmm," Sirius grinned and got a far-off look in his eyes. "Or an island of beautiful, scantily clad women…" Returning his attention to Peter, he said, "Thanks for that mental picture, but… you wouldn't notice that either."

"I would too," Peter frowned.

James chuckled. "Not if you were asleep."

Peter hrumphed, but made no further reply. He was a heavy sleeper and he knew he could sleep through a lot, but he really wasn't as bad as they thought. He did, however, know it was sometimes better to feign sleep than let others know you were aware of what was going on. It was safer for him, and he usually heard a thing or two when others thought he was out cold. Besides, in situations like last night, he had full confidence in his friends' abilities, not only to handle themselves, but keep him safe as well.

"So," Sirius nudged Remus. "How's Aden?"

Remus' eyes subconsciously traveled to where she was and he smiled. "She's good. And before you ask, we slept. Emphasis on 'sleep.'" Sirius poked Remus rather hard on the arm. "Ow. What was that for?"

"Are you alive?"

"Yes!"

"I don't know… No snogging at all?"

Remus grinned. "I didn't say that. But mostly, there was the sleeping."

Sirius barked out laughter, startling a few of the sleepy students around them. The combination of his laughter, and the reaction of those around him, made the other Marauders laugh as well.

"Well, good to see you're all awake this morning," Lily said, with a disapproving tone, as she and the girls from her dorm room approached.

"Evans," James smiled sweetly.

"No," she answered.

He frowned. "You don't even know what I was going to ask."

"Probably about Hogsmeade, which was posted yesterday, by the way. Getting a little slow. And I repeat – no. I'm already going with someone."

James' frown deepened. "Who?"

Lily slipped her arm through Gillette's."We're double-dating. I'm going with Collin, from Hufflepuff, and Gillette's going with his friend, Marcus."

"Marcus?" Sirius asked. He was frowning now too.

"Yes." Gillette looked at Sirius curiously. "Why?"

"Mm. Nothing."

"Oh come on. Tell me."

"Nothing. I just don't like him."

"Why?"

"Oh, does it matter?" Lily asked exasperatedly and pulled Gillette away so they could eat breakfast.

Remus was peering thoughtfully at Sirius.

"Moony," Sirius began.

"Yes?"

"You already have a girlfriend. Stop looking at me like that."

Remus just grinned. "So… why don't you like Marcus?"

"Look at him. He's so… nice, and annoying."

"Mm-hmm," was all Remus replied.

"What does she see in Collin?" James asked absently.

"Oh, I don't know," Remus sighed. "He's good-looking, smart, friendly…"

"He's not full of himself," Sirius added with a grin.

"Lots of girls want to date him," Peter added. When James glared at him, Peter said, "Well, a lot of girls want to date you too."

"Fickle bunch, aren't they," Sirius muttered.

"Look who's talking," Remus countered.

"I am not fickle," Sirius said, trying to sound offended. "I'm wild and carefree and too young to settle down with one of them." He gestured to a nearby group of giggling girls.

"Uh-huh. On that note…" Remus gathered up his books. "I'm heading to class."

The others gathered their things and walked with him.

"Wormtail, who are you going with next weekend?" Remus asked.

"I dunno. Thought I'd ask Evelyn, from Hufflepuff."

"You have a thing for Hufflepuff's, don't you," James observed.

"Well… Ravenclaws are looking for brains and Gryffindors…" Sirius teased.

"Hey! I don't think I want you to finish that statement." Peter had learned, over the past couple of years, to take their ribbing in stride. He didn't always appreciate it, but he had learned that most groups had at least one member who was the brunt of most of the jokes. Among the fifth-year Gryffindor girls, it was Patty. And he filled that niche with the Marauders. At least it meant he had one.

"So have you two picked out your monthly dates?" Remus asked James and Sirius.

"I say we shoot for seventh-years this time." Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at James.

"Right… I think we might be overshooting just a bit," James said.

Sirius threw an arm around James. "Prongs, you underestimate your sex appeal. You're a quidditch captain. One who won his last match."

"And let's not forget the hair," Remus smirked, as James reached up and ran his fingers through his hair to "restore" its wind-swept appearance.

"Right. The hair. And those glasses," Sirius agreed.

"What about my glasses?" James asked, pushing them up on his nose.

"Girls really dig the geeky look."

James punched Sirius in the ribs, causing him to take his arm off James and wrap it protectively around his side. Either that, or he was laughing so hard his ribs hurt.

"Fine," James said, giving Sirius a challenging look. "A seventh-year it is."

By the weekend, James and Sirius both had seventh-year girls hanging off their arms for the trip to Hogsmeade. They spent the morning lavishing much attention on their companions and being rather gentlemanly. They arrived at The Three Broomsticks for lunch, meeting up with Remus and Aden, and Peter and Evelyn (who did not appreciate being called Eve or Evie). In the afternoon, they showed off their magical prowess by hexing random people. Well, they really weren't random people. Collin ended up with a case of hives. Marcus seemed to have a bad reaction to something he ate. Snivellus tripped into a bookcase at Dervish and Banges, which caused a domino effect with three other bookshelves. Regulus, who Sirius was horrified to find out was on a date with a Burke, came down with a bad case of horrid-smelling breath.

When evening rolled around, James was the first one back to the common room. He and Sirius had gone their separate ways to return the girls to their common rooms. James thanked his for the lovely time and returned. Sirius came in an hour later looking rather disheveled. He plopped onto the couch next to James

James laughed. "What happened to you? Get attacked by a broom."

"Something like that. I really don't get the broom-closet thing. It's very… difficult… to maneuver in there. And smelly."

James chuckled. "That's all you have to say about your first real snogging-session?"

"Well… yeah. It was nice and all, but…"

"Let me guess, you were forced into it."

"Hey. You have to pay the piper," Sirius grinned.

"Does this mean you'll be seeing her again?"

"Nah, not really my type."

James smiled and shook his head. "And what is your type?"

"I'll know it when I find it. May take some searching… and experience with the wrong type." Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. "What about you?"

"Nope. Nothing."

Sirius shook his head and sat up so he could face James. Becoming uncharacteristically serious, he said, "You're never going to get her."

James frowned slightly while looking at his hands, then he smiled. "Oh I will. It's just going to take time."

"Prongs, have you even considered anyone else?"

"No. Look, I appreciate your concern…"

Sirius cut him off. "I want you to be happy, and the longer this goes on, the more miserable you'll become."

"Like I said, I appreciate your concern, but it will happen."

Sirius was reminded of how sure James had been that he was going to be in Gryffindor before their sorting. "All right," he said, surrendering to his friend's will. "She'll be yours one day. I'll help any way I can."

"Thanks, mate."

Sirius settled back, slouching on the couch so his head rested against the back. "That's what brothers are for."

- - - - -

A/N - Aww. Thanks again so much for the kind reviews. I was a little concerned about the last chapter, so I really appreciate the love. Thanks to all who take the time to leave a little comment. Thank you also to my everfaithful and encouraging betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love.

Nonair - Welcome back! Hope you had a great vacation. Once again, I'm thrilled that you picked up on the clues that foreshadow future events, like Mrs. Black's behavior and Sirius' dislike for both Grimmauld Place and Kreacher. I'm also glad to see you thought my characterization of the Centaurs was fairly accurate. Thanks again for the wonderful reviews.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaomer - Same as always.

Chapter 69

By the time Easter rolled around, tension was building throughout the school as end-of-the-year exams approached. The Marauders felt it more this year than any other thus far, because this year they had to take their O.W.L.s. That also meant that it was time for each fifth-year to meet with his or her head-of-house to discuss what careers in which they would be interested. Knowing their careers let them know what grades they had to achieve on their O.W.L.s in order to be accepted into the advanced courses.

Remus was most tense about this meeting. Many places would not hire a werewolf for even simple jobs, as they were generally mistrusted and considered unreliable.

"Mr. Lupin," Professor McGonagall began the meeting. She gestured to the chair across from her, "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you, Professor." Remus was one of the first to have his consultation. His prefect duties had him busy during the time he should have been slotted, so he opted for an earlier meeting time.

McGonagall regarded him for a moment before continuing. "Mr. Lupin, have you given thought to what career interests you?"

"Yes Professor. I would like to be a curse-breaker… for Gringotts, maybe."

She raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. Very well. The goblins are very particular about whom they choose." Remus' head dropped for a moment, but McGonagall continued on. "You will have to achieve 'Outstanding' on your Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and History of Magic O.W.L.s, as well as 'Exceeds Expectations' in… well… everything else. However, to enter my Advanced Transfiguration class, I require an 'Outstanding.' That is quite a few 'O's' Mr. Lupin. However, I have full confidence in you ability to attain those grades."

Remus smiled shyly. "Thank you."

"There is quite a lot of travel involved in being a curse breaker."

"Yes ma'am."

Professor McGonagall paused before continuing. "Mr. Lupin… I do not at all want to discourage your choice. You are bright and very capable. But… have you considered your… condition, in light of extensive travel?"

Remus stiffened. In truth, he had expected his lycanthropy to come up sooner. "I have thought about it and, no, I don't have that worked out yet."

"Mmm. If I may make a suggestion," she waited for Remus to nod his ascent. "It might behoove you to speak with the Headmaster." Remus' eyes widened almost comically and Minerva McGonagall had to school her features to prevent herself from smiling. It was obvious the boy had expected to be discouraged from whatever path he had chosen for himself. "Professor Dumbledore is very well… connected. He may be able to help you secure safe-havens in the various locations that your travels may take you."

"Thank you Professor. I… I don't know what to say."

Professor McGonagall clasped her hands together and leaned forward in her chair. "Mr. Lupin, I am not suggesting that you will have an easy time of it. I fear that any path you choose will be more difficult for you than most. But I will not be the one to stand in your way. And know that there are many of us who are willing to help you in any way we can. You have proven yourself a student of fine character and I am confident that will take you far. You are, after all, a Gryffindor."

Remus nodded. He was saddened by the reminder of trouble he was sure to face, but he was also relieved to hear the words of encouragement, especially from someone he held in high esteem. He hoped he would not have to ask others for help, but he was not so naïve as to think that some good connections wouldn't help him in the future.

Sirius was the next of the Marauders to meet with Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Black, what is it you wish to do?"

Sirius confidently answered, "I want to be an Auror." Something flashed in McGonagall's eyes and Sirius wondered if she was thinking of all the detentions he had received – something that might be frowned upon by those in law enforcement.

McGonagall cleared her throat before speaking. "You will need to achieve 'Outstanding' on your Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.s. You will also need to achieve 'Exceeds Expectations' on your Potions, Charms, Herbology, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures. And, of course, a passing grade is needed for any other classes you plan on continuing." She gazed intently at Sirius a moment. "You know that becoming an Auror is extremely difficult and taxing. It requires three years of additional training after leaving Hogwarts. Not to mention the intensive personality profile and background check that is run."

Sirius frowned, wondering where she was going with this speech. He also wondered if his family background would hinder his ability to become an Auror.

"It's also… not safe. Times are getting darker. That job will be very much like enlisting in the military during a time of war. Do you understand that?"

Sirius was surprised by McGonagall's candor. He decided this would be possibly his only chance of finding out information from an adult other than his parents. "Does this have to do with Voldemort?"

Professor McGonagall let out a slight gasp and raised her hand to her chest. "How do you know that name?"

"I've heard it. I think he's the one my parents refer to as The Dark Lord."

McGonagall nodded jerkily, confirming what he and the other Marauders had been able to piece together. "Sirius." Sirius tensed at the use of his first name. "Are your parents involved with… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

Sirius wondered how much to divulge. "I know they support his views on muggles, half-bloods, and half-breeds. They're not Death Eaters, if that's what you're wondering."

Again, McGonagall looked shocked. Not many students had more than a passing knowledge of Death Eaters. Most only knew what they had heard about in the papers. She suspected there were quite a few Slytherins who knew more than most, perhaps even more than she did, though she was loath to admit that to herself. They were still her students, after all, and she preferred to think of them as innocents. That was why she feared for Sirius and his choice of becoming an Auror.

Professor McGonagall remembered Sirius' reluctance to speak about his family in the past and wondered how much he would divulge now, if she pressed the issue. "Have they spoken with you about the Death Eaters?"

Sirius snorted before he could stop himself, remembering the conversation he had had with his father a few years back, in which he was told he would one day become one. Sirius coughed to try to cover the snort, then he cleared his throat. "Yes. They've mentioned them."

"Do they know any?"

Sirius wondered what would happen if he told the truth. Throwing caution to the wind, he answered, "They want me to become one. I'm sure they know a few."

McGonagall huffed quietly. She wasn't really sure what to do with this information. She did know that she would be going to see Dumbledore as soon as this meeting was over. "But they haven't mentioned any names?"

Sirius hesitated. He had never heard names mentioned, and he could only guess at certain family members' involvement. "No."

Minerva got the feeling that there was more behind that "no," but she wasn't sure what to ask. Sighing, she decided she had gotten as much information as she could for the time being. "Very well. And thank you for your forthrightness."

Sirius nodded and left. He was eager to get back to the others and share the conversation.

"And Mr. Black." Sirius paused on his way out the door, and turned to look back at his professor. "Our side will do well to have you."

Sirius nodded again, thankful that at least Professor McGonagall would not hold his family against him. And he smiled at the thought of being on the right side and even being welcomed there.

Peter told McGonagall that he wanted to work in the Ministry – something to do with Muggles. When she looked over his school record, she agreed that this was a good choice for him. She let him know he would need an "Exceeds Expectations" on the Muggle Studies O.W.L. and gave him the requirements for entering the advanced courses of his other subjects. She also said she could recommend a few people at the ministry who were involved with Muggle Relations as liaisons, as well as people in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts division, if he was interested in speaking with them.

When James met with McGonagall, he told her he wanted to be an Auror. He wasn't really sure if that was true, but he knew that's what Sirius was going to say and, besides, he liked the idea of fighting for good and putting bad guys away. Professor McGonagall gave James a similar speech about dark times ahead and to think carefully about this decision, though she had no doubt he would make a fine Auror.

The year was not yet over, however. Not only did they have to pass their O.W.L.s, James had two more quidditch games to win, and the egg contest was still underway. Then there were the monthly moonlight escapades, Hogsmeade trips, and finding ways to make Snivellus' life as miserable as possible, as well as anyone else who happened to annoy them on any given day – most usually Slytherins. So much to do, so little time.

- - - - -

A/N - Thank you very much to all who took the time to review. I appreciate it. Hope y'all are still reading and enjoying. Thank you to my awesome betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Much love.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer - Yeah... Not mine.

Chapter 70

As the end of April drew close, stress was increasing exponentially. Exams were just over a month away – O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s for the fifth- and seventh-years respectively. Additionally the egg task was still underway. Even with the watching and preparing, it had escaped the Gryffindor's care after a mere two weeks. Still, so far that was a record holding time. It continued to be shuffled around from house-to-house. Then, of course, there was all of the work that needed to be done for the other classes.

When the last quidditch match of the season – minus the Cup – came around, it was a much needed distraction for everyone. The game was Gryffindor verses Ravenclaw, and the cup was still well within anyone's reach. If this was a high-scoring game, both teams would make it to the Quidditch Cup. Because Ravenclaw had such a strong offense, and points were important in this game, James ordered the beaters to stay defensive, acting much like half-backs in a field hockey game. They could help the offense, to a point, but they were to hang back in case the quaffle suddenly changed direction and was headed back toward the Gryffindor goals.

His strategy worked, too, for the most part. Ravenclaw had trouble scoring goals. But with the lack of protection on the Ravenclaw side of the pitch, the Gryffindor chasers had to make sure they were hyper-aware of their surroundings, so as not to be hit by the bludger. In preparation for the match, James had taught his chasers several defensive rolls and how to properly break on the broom. Still, Andy Johnson was nearly knocked off his broom at one point when a bludger came at him from behind. It hit him on the left shoulder and he was pushed forward, but he maintained his grip and kept playing. His left arm was pretty useless after that, so he acted more as a distraction to the other team than someone who could actually score.

The game went on for nearly five hours, exhausting the players, who were not used to such extended play. The snitch only made a few brief appearances and neither seeker seemed able to keep track of it. Jules, the Gryffindor seeker, finally caught the snitch, ensuring Gryffindor would be in the Quidditch Cup. But the game had gone on so long that Ravenclaw had amassed enough points to ensure they were also in the Cup. The Gryffindor team groaned at the news, not looking forward to another long match like the one played today.

Johnson was attended to by Madam Pomfrey once he reached the ground, but the entire team dragged themselves to the showers, completely worn out. When they arrived at the common room, the party was already underway. This managed to energize most of the team, but not for long. After about an hour of partying, two of the younger team members had fallen asleep and Jules gave up all pretense, heading to her dorm room to sleep there.

James stood up on one of the tables and whistled to get everyone's attention. "I want to say thank you for the party, but right now my team needs to rest. Continue celebrating, but," with this he turned his attention to his teammates, "team – to bed!" There was some complaining from various students, but James held up his hand. "We'll be back tonight to do this up right, but for now we need rest."

James made sure all of his teammates made it to their dorms. He was convinced to stay by his adoring fans, which was perhaps a mistake. He too ended up falling asleep, his head resting on the soft lap of one very happy sixth-year girl.

"Do you think we should wake him?" Remus asked Sirius.

"Nah. He needs his sleep. Besides… he looks so comfortable," Sirius grinned.

"Yeah, but…" whatever Remus was going to say, Sirius didn't find out.

"Potter!" An annoyed Lily had just walked up and prodded James – hard – to wake him.

Though James sat bolt upright, he was obviously dazed. "Wha?"

"If you're going to sleep, do it in your dorm, like the rest of your team."

"Oh, Lily," the sixth-year girl, who had been running her fingers through James' hair so it was now oddly flat and smooth on one side while sticking up wildly on the other, began to protest. The look Lily shot her shut her up immediately, however.

Without missing a beat, Lily continued, "Or are you better than them? Does the mighty captain get fed grapes by hand?"

Lily's words were lost on the half-awake and now muscle-sore captain. "Mmm, grapes…" James replied sleepily, causing Lily to roll her eyes in frustration.

Shaking his head, though smiling slightly in amusement, Sirius stepped in and pulled James to a standing position. "Come on, mate." He shoved James gently in the direction of the stairs, chuckling quietly as he watched the groaning James stumble up to the dorm.

"Remus, you really should have made him go to the dorm," Lily turned on her fellow prefect. "You know that's considered inappropriate behavior."

"He fell asleep, Lily – after an exhausting match. I really don't think it was intentional," he replied quietly. Remus couldn't help but wonder if this was really just about rules. He knew of Lily's reputation for thinking James was an arrogant berk, but Gillette had hinted on more than one occasion that she thought there was more behind Lily's behavior. He wondered now if Lily was jealous. Additionally, he knew it was an accident. James would never do anything to potentially hurt his chances with Lily - not that it mattered much, since she wouldn't give him the time of day. A bit of indignation arose in Remus on behalf of his friend.

"All the more reason," Lily replied.

"I'm sorry. Next time, I'll just let everyone else do what they want since I am to be solely in charge of James," Remus countered.

"That's not what I meant, Remus," Lily sighed. She looked at him for a moment, but decided not to say anything else and walked away.

Sirius had rejoined Remus and the few other Gryffindors sitting by the fire. "What's with her?"

Gillette, who had been sitting on the couch with Sirius before he had gotten up to get James upstairs, answered, "I think she just didn't like seeing James with someone else."

"I still don't know why you think she's got a thing for Prongs," Sirius said to Gillette. The sixth-year, whose lap had been recently vacated, huffed and got up to sit with another group of students.

Gillette scowled at Sirius. "I wish you wouldn't say that so publicly, Sirius. She had a really nice time over Christmas, you know. But, I think she's frustrated by… all the attention James is receiving."

"Attention? We all get attention. Even Evans gets her fair share of attention. I mean… How can she not know James likes her? He doesn't ask for the attention. And he'd gladly give his to her…" Sirius was also frustrated on his friend's behalf.

"I know… but… Well, he is a little cocky, isn't he?"

Sirius barked out a laugh. "'A little'?"

Remus said, "Pot."

"Kettle," Peter added.

"Black," Gillette finished with a grin.

"I am not cocky." Sirius took that moment lift his hand once in a lazy wave, nod, and wink at a group of girls across the room.

Remus shook his head, while Gillette said, "Riiight."

"That's not cocky. That's charisma," Sirius grinned back. "Anyway… What were we talking about? Oh… Prongs and Evans."

"Right. Lily just doesn't want a cocky man."

"Why? Does she like to be in control?" Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Gillette giggled and playfully hit his shoulder. "No. But… Cocky men tend to treat women as… disposable. A conquest."

Sirius frowned, but it was Remus who responded, "She can't honestly think James is like that."

"James has been on how many dates? With how many different girls?"

"Yeah, but they were just for fun. He hasn't even kissed any of them."

Gillette's eyebrows rose on her forehead. "Really?" Sirius nodded. "Wow! That's… huh." She thought about this for a minute. Then turning a curious gaze to Sirius, she asked, "What about you?"

"Well… I've not found my Evans, have I?" Gillette cast a look upon him that he couldn't read. "What about you?" he asked, trying to get the focus off of him.

Gillette cleared her throat and blushed. With a nervous chuckle, she said, "Well, let's just say I don't think any of us, here, are as innocent as James."

Remus snorted. "Did I just hear 'James' and 'innocent' in the same sentence?" Amicable laughter spread through the small group. After a few minutes, Remus stood. "Well, I'm going to visit with Aden until the party tonight."

Around supper time, Peter took orders from the Gryffindors and went to get food from the kitchens. Sirius recruited Gillette to help him get butterbeer from Hogsmeade and a few party supplies from Zonko's. By the time they returned, Remus was also back and had dug out the wizard wireless. The common room was filled with music and laughter and cheering. James was once again center stage, with fans listening to his quidditch tales – the rest of the team sitting around adding comments here and there. As the night wore on, groups of students broke off. There was some dancing, milling, story-telling, and snogging. A few of the more studious fifth- and seventh-years excused themselves early to study in their dorms – Lily, Gillette and Remus among them. The others stayed another hour or so, but the party was definitely winding down, and by the time Lily made rounds, all that remained of the celebration were a few half-filled cups of butterbeer and some crumbs from pumpkin pasties.

- - - - -  
A/N - Huh. I've had a couple of short chapters, here. Sorry about that. Maybe they're like bon-bons. Small but satisfying. Except, I don't like bon-bons. Anyhoo...

Thank you once again for all of the wonderful reviews! Thank you to my wonderful betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love.

Nonair - Welcome back, Sweetie! Thanks again for your wonderful words. I really did try to keep Snape as intelligent and crafty, yet, honestly, cruel as he was in the books. At least, that's how he came across to me. Hee. I'll take it as a compliment that Remus was particularly ambitious with his career. Maybe he thought he'd be working alone a lot and in danger, so his lycanthropy wouldn't work against him so much. I figured Peter would want to do something safe. And muggles are very safe. But, you know, someone else pointed out to me that working with muggles was a bit of an odd choice for a future Death Eater. So, maybe if I had it to do again, I would pick something else, but it kind of works, too. Hopefully. Anyway, other than that, glad to see I seem to be on track with the characters. Thanks again.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 71

"Okay, let's just say we get the egg. Where are we going to hide it this time?" Morgan, a Gryffindor seventh-year, asked.

The house was holding a meeting to strategize about the egg project. The competition was still very much alive and there were no solid leaders yet.

James leaned over and whispered to Remus, "What about the Room?"

"I don't know…" he whispered back uncertainly.

"What are you whispering?" Morgan asked. He had become the unofficial team leader for the project.

James and Remus looked at each other uncertainly. "How many of you have heard about The Room of Requirement?" James asked tentatively. Most of the attending students looked at James blankly. "What if I told you there is a room in the castle that, whatever you need, it can provide – including a safe place to hide the egg."

"But what if someone else found the room?" one of the other students asked.

"The room appears however you need it. So unless that person specifically wants to find the egg… he won't," Remus answered.

"And even then, we're not really sure what would happen if the room is given opposing wishes."

"But surely other people from other houses know about the room. I didn't know its name, but I think I've come across the room," Lily pointed out. James gave her an admiring glance.

Sirius spoke up, breaking his reverie. "There are, but, again… unless they specifically ask to find the egg, they won't. And even then, we're not sure what would happen – not if we order the room to keep the egg hidden."

Another Gryffindor spoke up. "But what about guards? If we post guards on the door, surely people are going to figure out where it is."

"We don't have to," Peter stated. When everyone turned to look at him, he shrank back slightly at all the attention.

"Wormtail's right," Sirius picked up. "Let's just say we have a way of knowing who's by the room without actually being there. Besides, the silent alarms worked before."

"And what exactly is this 'way' you're talking about?" It wasn't that Morgan didn't believe these fifth-years. He knew well of their reputation, but he was competitive and wanted to win. "You are asking us to put a lot of faith in you, your room, and your mysterious surveillance technique."

The Marauders exchanged looks. James nodded and stood up. "Will you come with me?" Morgan looked at him curiously, but agreed to follow. James took him to their dorm room and showed him the Marauders' Map, being sure to whisper the passwords so Morgan wouldn't hear them.

Morgan stared in wonder at the map, then at James, then back at the map. "Wicked!" he said in an awed voice.

They returned to the common room, where soft murmuring had broken out, but immediately ceased at the young men's return.

"We've got surveillance," Morgan grinned. "Is that how you knew they were coming last time?" James nodded and smiled. Morgan shook his head in wonder. As James took a seat with his friends, Morgan continued, "So… what do we think about the use of the room?"

"I definitely think we'll need the additional protective measures, like the silent alarms we used before," Remus responded.

"Right. Okay, Byron, pick a team for the egg's defense."

Byron, another seventh-year, nodded. He was probably the most intelligent seventh-year Gryffindor had, and he was very good at listening, taking suggestions, and delegating.

"Now," Morgan continued, "I understand Peter has some intel for us."

Peter nodded tentatively and was given an encouraging nudge by Remus. "I know where Hufflepuff is keeping the egg. I also know at least some of the spells guarding it. I'm sure it's not a complete list, but it's a start." Morgan nodded for him to continue and Peter briefed the rest of the house on the information he had.

Once Peter had shared all of his information, Morgan asked Byron if he had chosen his team yet. The entire house would help during both stealing and defending the egg, but their primary focus would be one or the other. Byron nodded and read off the list of names he had decided on during the briefing. The students he chose were known to be quick-witted and think well on their feet. It wasn't important to be super-smart, he figured, as long as they could react and attack well. He left the planners for the team that was going to steal the egg.

Morgan was initially upset that he had most of the first and second-year students, but Sirius made a joke about them being used as canon fodder, and he realized how important that task really was. When one didn't know the defenses being used, one needed a way to find out what they were. Byron had also left him a few of the smartest students. The assault might take more than one attempt, and students who could do research were important.

This meant that Remus and Lily were on the team that was going to steal the egg. Peter was also on that team since intel changed frequently and any updates he could find would help their chance of success. Patty, Jules and Johnson were with them. The attack was scheduled to start first thing in the morning. A week into the project, a new rule had been added. Since it was against the rules to wander the halls at night, the students were told that night raiding would cost points for the team as well as give them a holding penalty, which took time off the clock. Since one of the ways to earn points was to hold onto the egg the longest, this was a rather effective deterrent.

Sirius, James and Gillette were on the defense along with Stacey, Addison and Leena. Most of the quidditch team was on defense, since they were used to reacting quickly. Byron and James gave quick lessons on some of the more effective blocking and stunning spells to the younger students to help them be ready.

At five the next morning, the fifth-year dorm erupted with noise. Sirius was frantically trying to wake everyone, including Peter. When his first attempt at waking the others only succeeded in getting Remus to sit up and Addison to curse at him, he set off a noisemaker and threw some of Addison's mum's cookies, pegging the sleeping teens in their beds. It took less than a minute to get everyone up, including Peter.

"What! is going on?" Addison yelled, his ears still ringing from the noisemaker going off in confined quarters.

"Slytherin!" Sirius yelled back, gathering cloaks and throwing them at his bewildered dormmates.

Remus was the first to catch on and grabbed his shoes too.

"Slytherin is going for the egg. Now!" This statement got the others moving.

James darted out the door, calling over his shoulder, "I'm getting Morgan."

"Wormtail, you get the first-years," Sirius commanded. "Addison…"

Addison was already on his way. Nodding he said, "Right. Second-years."

"Moony, you get…"

"The girls."

"What? How are you going…?"

"Just get the third years!" Remus commanded back as he pinned his prefects badge to his chest. "Go!"

In just five minutes, most of the older students were gathered in the common room. It was rather a sight to see. They all seemed to be half-way between maniacally awake and still sleeping. Most of them stayed in their pajamas and simply slipped their school robes over those. Several were not wearing shoes, and almost all of the girls were sporting untidy ponytails.

Morgan quickly took control. "Right. Team, let's go. You others – we're going to need you to run interference with Slytherin. Uh… Gudgeon, stay behind and gather up the stragglers. Bring them to where the egg is being kept."

"Wait. Wait!" Sirius insisted. "May I offer a suggestion?" Morgan huffed slightly in impatience but nodded for him to continue. "Let Slytherin get it."

"What?!" someone in the crowd shouted indignantly.

"No, listen. Let Slytherin get the egg. That gives us plenty of time to surround them quietly and get into a good position. Slytherin does all the work of getting past Hufflepuff's defenses, they get the egg, and we ambush them on the way to wherever they were going to take it. Aside from some dueling, it's easy pickings."

Byron whispered something to Morgan, who listened intently. "Very good. How do we proceed?"

"Wormtail," Sirius waved Peter forward. "Does anyone have a scroll and quill?" One of the girls ran to her dorm and retrieved the items for Sirius. A circle formed around one of the larger tables as the Marauders, Morgan, and Byron bent over the scroll. "Wormtail, draw out a map of the area surrounding the egg."

As Peter drew, the other five teens strategized about who to put where. There were secret tunnels and various nooks and crannies that would hide people, not to mention classrooms that could be used to hold several students at once. A net was nicely drawn up around the area. A signal was set so that everyone would know what direction Slytherin headed off in once they had they egg. They thought of a few simple traps that could be set up quickly and quietly. Some of the younger students would run interference with teachers, other students and Peeves, should it be necessary. It was a good thing Gryffindor was known for its bravery. Most of the students had not dueled outside of the Dueling Club and away from the club's rules for safety, and none of them were so naïve as to think Slytherin would duel fairly.

As they quickly stole to their hiding places, Remus looked over the map. "You know… This isn't all the Slytherins."

Sirius glanced at him. "I know," he said in a quiet voice. "I just don't know if they have a signal to get reinforcements, or if the others will head in the direction of the egg later, to help them return."

"Pads and I can split up. I'll stick with you, Moony. That way, if we see more Slytherins coming, I can signal Pads." James patted his pocket where he normally kept his mirror. Byron was listening to the Marauders talk and he nodded his approval of their plan.

It took nearly an hour for the Slytherins to get the egg and, by this time, over half of the Hufflepuffs had arrived on the scene to help defend the egg. James contacted Sirius to tell him that more Slytherins were already on their way, but it was agreed that, until the Slytherins had firm control of the egg, the Gryffindors would sit and wait. Let the Hufflepuffs eliminate as many Slytherins as possible before Gryffindor stepped in. Plus there would be fewer Hufflepuffs to deal with.

After another fifteen minutes of intense fighting, the Slytherins won decisively – in part due to their use of curses and hexes that Hufflepuff would never use. The Gryffindors shadowed Slytherin, using the tunnels and interconnected classrooms, until they were far enough away that any new Hufflepuff arrivals wouldn't know where they had gone.

Sirius, Morgan, Addison and Lily were the first to strike. They snuck up behind the Slytherins and cast spells from behind. They began taking out a couple of stragglers without the rest of the Slytherins knowing they were there. But with their third attack, they were noticed and the alarm was sent up. It was then that more Gryffindors appeared all around the Slytherins, attacking from all directions. Flashes of white, blue, red, purple and orange lights flew both into and out of the throng.

Peter called out to those who were fighting, "New wave! New wave!" And the first attack team saw more Slytherins run into the fray, surrounding some of the Gryffindors. The Gryffindors quickly fell, but many of the Slytherins had already gone down, too.

Patty, who was quiet, but had a surprisingly quick wand, went around rousing fallen Gryffindors to bring them back into the battle. James, Gillette and Byron, along with a good number of the quidditch team, came up behind the new Slytherin arrivals. Things quickly became chaotic as the students seemed to be layered – Gryffindor, Slytherin, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and finally Gryffindor. Spells that missed their intended targets hit allies. But the element of surprise and the sandwiching ultimately worked in Gryffindor's favor.

It took six of Gryffindor's finest to carry the egg, once it had been freed of its Slytherin captors and they took it quickly to the next corridor. Remus cast a Disillusionment Charm on the egg and its handlers, hiding them from view. "Told you that spell would come in handy," he smirked at James, who couldn't comment because he was spending all his energy keeping the egg up. It was surprisingly heavy and, for some reason, couldn't be lightened.

A few students stayed behind at the battlefield. Sirius and Lily stayed as guards. Patty, Gillette, and Addison revived who they could. Ophelia, one of the seventh-year girls, who was training to be a healer, reversed many of the spells and did patch jobs on the minor injuries that had occurred. Once all of the Gryffindors were taken care of, and the egg was sure to be safely out of the way, they turned their attention to the Slytherins, patching them up and sending them on their way. This really only deepened the Slytherin humiliation, however, and many vowed revenge.

Regulus had been one of the fallen, and when he was revived, he glanced quickly at his brother before turning away.

Sirius felt an odd sense of foreboding that he and Regulus had been on the same battlefield, but opposite sides. They had been so close and, for all he knew, one of his spells could have taken out his brother. He felt a hand on his arm, intruding on his morose thoughts. He looked around and saw Gillette watching him, her hand gently resting on his arm.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." Sirius frowned. It was just a stupid egg contest. Why did it feel so much deeper? "It's just weird."

"And, sadly, far too common in war," Gillette whispered.

Sirius nodded. She obviously knew what he was thinking about, so he didn't try to hide it. After a moment, he flashed a quick smile and patted her hand. "We done here?"

Gillette looked over at Ophelia. She was helping the last of the Slytherins to her feet. "Looks like. Ready to play defense?"

"No rest for the weary," Sirius grinned. As they walked away, he asked, more to himself than anyone, "I wonder how Moony got up to the girls' dorm?"

Lily and Gillette snickered. "You'll have to ask him that," Lily said rather mysteriously.

- - - - -

A/N – Thank you all for your kindness and patience and wonderful reviews. Y'all are awesome! Thanks also to my wonderful betas – Mom, mei mei, and Sifi. Love.

Nonair - Thanks for the compliment on Quidditch. I don't always go into much detail with the games and I sometimes wonder if that's disappointing to the reader. Glad you enjoyed. I'm also glad to hear that you like the portrayal of James and Lily's developing relationship. Thank you. And I agree with your assessment of Remus and Aden. Thanks again for the wonderful review.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer - Still the same. I do so love our boys, but I don't own them.

Chapter 72

"So how did you get into the girls dorm?" James asked for the umpteenth time. It was a week since Gryffindor successfully snatched the egg and Sirius, James, and even Peter had not let that little detail slip by.

Remus, who was still in bed, groaned and put his pillow over his head.

"Mooooonyyyyy," Sirius called in that voice that meant Remus was not going back to sleep.

He growled into his pillow before getting up and padding softly to the bathroom, pointedly ignoring his annoying dorm mates. He made sure to take his time in an attempt to annoy them in return. When he walked back out of the bathroom, he smirked internally at the sight that greeted him. The other three Marauders were staring at him with great anticipation. Somehow, they all knew today would be the day Remus would crack and tell them. He sighed and gave in. "Fine. I'm a prefect."

"Huh?" Sirius intoned.

"I'm a prefect. That means, in case of emergency, I have to be able to have access to the girls' dorms."

Sirius gasped dramatically and clutched at his chest as if mortally wounded. James donned a hurt expression as well, though not quite as dramatically. "You mean all this time you had access to the girls' dorms and you never told us? Think of the pranks we could have pulled. Think of the fun…"

Sirius nodded in agreement with James. "Think of the trouble," he grinned.

"E-MER-GEN-CY," Remus enunciated every syllable of the word to emphasize its importance.

"The egg qualified as an emergency, but our livelihood doesn't?" James asked.

"Mmm." Remus pretended to consider this question. "Yes."

"Shouldn't an emergency really be life or death or something?" Peter wondered.

"The egg is a major portion of our grade. Not to mention it could help us win the House Cup – and with all the points these two lose us throughout the year… Yes, the egg was an emergency," Remus defended.

Sirius and James snickered. "So you can go up there any time you want?" The mischievous glint was shining in Sirius' eyes again.

"I can, but I won't. And, I'm not going to tell you how to do it. You can't, anyway. You have to be a prefect."

James huffed in frustration, but Remus could see the wheels turning in his head. "So you need the badge?"

Remus knew what he meant. If they stole Remus' badge, would they be able to sneak up the stairs. "It takes more than the badge. And I am not going to tell you."

"Moony," Sirius said, throwing an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Sometimes, you really lack vision. And a sense of fun."

"Mmm," was all he said in reply.

There were some things that Remus would obviously budge on. That's how they all knew he would eventually tell them how he got into the dorm. There were other things he wouldn't. And by the look on his face, the others knew they were not going to find out how, exactly, to accomplish getting up the stairs.

James sighed in defeat and suggested they head to breakfast.

Remus sat through breakfast, quietly eating and watching Aden. Sirius noted, however, that it was not his usual look of adoring that he often wore during breakfast; it was, instead, a thoughtful gaze.

"What's up?" Sirius asked.

Remus glanced at Sirius. "I think she knows where the egg is."

James, who had been animatedly talking to members of the quidditch team, abruptly stopped talking and listened.

"Has she found a way to get to it?"

"I don't think so. Not sure if there even is a way."

James jumped in, "Well, we'll just have to keep an extra close watch on the map, then. Wormtail…"

"Yup. I'm on it." Peter got up and left. Less than a minute later, only someone who was closely paying attention would have seen the small rat dart into the Great Hall and scurry under the Ravenclaw table.

"He's a bit scary, isn't he?" Sirius muttered.

"How so?" Remus frowned.

"Well look at him. He's picking food up off the floor. You'd never know he wasn't a real rat. It's a perfect disguise."

"You all act a bit… funny, when you're in animal form," Remus observed.

"I do not… And besides, how would you know?"

"I pretty much remember our entire evenings now." Remus frowned and poked at his eggs.

"What is it?" James asked.

Remus looked around to make sure no one was listening, then he leaned in a little further. "I just… I used to think we were… separate. Then I started having memories – flashes – of what happened. Now I can remember the whole night…"

"You've mentioned that before. You shouldn't be so worried about it." Remus looked at Sirius incredulously. "Really. When you remember, you're very much… you. I don't know how… interconnected you and… it… are, but you're no more 'it' than Prongs is actually Bambi."

"Mmm. Maybe."

Later that evening, Peter informed the others that Ravenclaw did, indeed, suspect the egg was in the Room of Requirement, but they hadn't figured out how to get to it. They were planning on attempting to try for the egg the next day though.

Morgan turned to Remus. "Did you tell your girlfriend where the egg was?"

"No." If Remus was upset by the question, he didn't show it. His friends, on the other hand, did.

"Moony wouldn't say anything," James defended, crossing his arms across his chest.

"How did she find out then? I didn't even know about the room."

"She's a Ravenclaw, you git," Sirius answered hotly. "Moony took her to the Room at the beginning of the year, so she knew about it from then – and how it worked. She knows Moony pretty well. It wouldn't take a genius to put two and two together, and she is one."

"Guys," Remus said calmly. He had expected the question when it came, though lack of trust was still a bit of a tender spot for Remus. Werewolves were pretty unanimously not trusted due to their dual nature, and even though Morgan didn't know he was a werewolf, mistrust still tended to bother Remus. He was warmed by the immediate rise of his friends to his defense, though.

"They're right, Morgan," Lily chimed in. Remus hadn't even known she was listening. "Remus wouldn't say anything." Remus gave Lily a half-smile of thanks.

Morgan glanced around, and a few other students who had over-heard the conversation nodded in agreement. "Okay. So what are we going to do about it?"

"I'm not sure we have to do anything. I really don't think the Room will let them get the egg," James stated confidently.

"Depending on the number of students they use, we could just send a small group to make sure they don't get it – frustrate their efforts," Byron suggested. "We could come up with a way to signal everyone else in case they do manage to get it."

"I can go with the group," Sirius offered. "Prongs and I have a way to communicate with each other, so I can contact him if things heat up."

"Why do you get to go?" James asked sourly.

"Is there anything you guys haven't thought of?" Morgan asked in an impressed voice.

"Oi. Don't encourage them," Lily pleaded.

"Because I'm more smooth than you are," Sirius answered, causing Peter and Remus to snicker.

"Oh please. In your dreams. Besides, I'm the better dueler," James retorted.

"But we don't want to duel if we can avoid it."

"You didn't have a problem dueling with Slytherin," Lily pointed out.

"Yeah, well… that was Slytherin, wasn't it?" Sirius said, as if that was obvious.

"Yeah. And there was no way any amount of talking would help us with the Slytherin situation," James added.

Sirius chuckled. "Not that it would have mattered. Any excuse to hex a Slytherin…"

"See. That's exactly what I'm talking about," Lily began yet another tirade.

While she was talking, James rolled his eyes and said, "Oh please. It's Slytherin…"

Other hushed conversations had also broken out among several of the students present. Suddenly an ear-piercing whistle cut into the escalating argument. All eyes turned to Byron. "The egg," he reminded everyone of why they were having a meeting in the first place. He nodded to Morgan.

"So… It looks like we wait to see what kind of group they get together for the task. But after they make an attempt, the other houses are bound to find out where the egg is, too."

"Let them," Sirius said simply.

The next day, a small group of Ravenclaws gathered around the outside of the Room of Requirement. Sirius, Byron, Remus, Gillette and Stacey went to keep an eye on things. They also spent a good amount of time making jokes and teasing the Ravenclaws to prevent them from fully concentrating.

But for all their effort, the room would not allow Ravenclaw entrance to the egg.

Though there were several gatherings of students from various houses trying to get into the room, none were successful. But the egg needed to be returned to the professor the last Saturday of May, so that was the next thing the house geared up for. They weren't sure if anyone would try to steal the egg as they tried to turn it in, but they thought it would be best to be safe, rather than sorry. If Gryffindor succeeded in turning in the egg, they were pretty confident that they would receive the points for last ones to have the egg as well as the longest holding record.

The egg had to be brought to the Great Hall and set before the Head Table. The Gryffindors chose some of their smallest members to carry the egg. Sirius joked that, because they were the size of munchkins, the egg was so close to the floor, no one would suspect they were actually carrying it. The smaller students were chosen mostly because they were the youngest, as well, and would only get in the way if it came to battle. Until there was any sign of trouble, a few of the older students helped carry the burden as well.

As they walked with the egg, James noticed that most of the students they saw from the other houses were young – young and fast. "Advance warning," James gestured with his head as yet another first-year dashed off in the direction of his house.

Sirius nodded and moved to warn Morgan and Byron.

Byron set off green sparks. It was the signal that a small advanced party was supposed to go forward and make sure the path ahead was clear. Morgan moved his group to bring up the rear.

James was part of the advanced party. He slipped into a classroom so he could don his invisibility cloak. He put a silencing spell on his shoes and ran quickly ahead. He scouted around, glanced at the map and ran back to Byron, removing his cloak along the way.

"Too many. They're coming from all directions. Our group isn't going to be able to hold them all off."

"How long to intercept?" Byron asked.

"We'll meet the first group around the next corner."

"All right. Take care of what you can." James nodded and took the group forward, while Byron headed back to the main group. "Remus." Remus stepped forward. "Cover."

Remus nodded and muttered an incantation. Mist began to form and rise from the floor. It continued to thicken until there was a good layer of fog in the corridor.

The previous Christmas, when the Marauders, Lily and Gillette had gone to the 3-D movie, James and Sirius had nicced about twenty extra pairs of glasses. They hadn't had good reason to use them until now. Remus found a charm to use on the glasses so they could see through fog – something like night-vision or infrared goggles. Twenty wasn't enough for the entire house, but it was enough for key people to keep the egg covered by fog, and still be defended.

Every few feet Remus muttered the fog spell so it would continue to stay in front of the moving group.

James used area-effect spells, such as an oil slick on the floor, to take down the smaller groups, while his other teammates cast stunning and binding spells. Lily was in his group, for which he was thankful. She was a dead shot with almost all of her spells and she had somehow managed to figure out how to shield more than one person, saving him from being hit while he concentrated on taking out the small groups. Eventually, however, the groups became larger and James' team was spending more and more time shielding and dodging than they were pushing back the encroaching enemies.

Sirius had his own team at the back. In some ways, they had it easier. They usually still had fog to cover them. But like James's team, they were quickly being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. He heard an explosion ahead, and knew the big guns had been pulled out, so he let his own loose.

They had rigged some fireworks to explode and release various materials. Some blasted dung bombs, some blasted grow-your-own-warts powder, which caused itching and swelling. Then, there were also dung bombs they chucked by hand, fanged Frisbees, and Ever-bashing boomerangs. The advantage of these items was that they caused quite a bit of chaos and the younger students didn't need to know any advanced spells to use them.

Slowly, the Gryffindor numbers thinned, but so did the numbers of those who were attacking them. The end was in sight as they crested the stairs leading to the Entrance Hall. James, who had sprouted antennae after being hit by an incomplete form of the insect jinx, hesitated half-way down the stairs. Something wasn't right. He glanced at the map and saw that all of the rooms surrounding the Entrance Hall held Slytherins. He quickly found Byron and warned him of the trap below. Morgan and Lily joined their conference.

"I have an idea," James whispered. "But I need the quidditch team." Word was spread quickly and the quidditch team came forward. He pulled his mirror out of his pocket while he waited, "Sirius Black."

"Kinda busy, Prongs." Sirius pulled the mirror from his pocket so he could respond, but he held it in his hand which was swinging wildly around as he dodged a hex. Sirius laughed, "You call that aim?"

"I need you up front."

"Right," Sirius ground out. "_Impedimenta_. Gillette?"

"Two more. Two o'clock."

"Got it!" Sirius called out two more spells. James heard Gillette yell her own spells and between the two of them, they must have hit their mark, because Sirius was laughing again and Gillette cheered. The next thing James saw in the mirror was black.

"Pads! Stop playing kissy-face and get your arse up here!"

Sirius sighed. "Duty calls, love. Keep your guard up." James was pretty sure Sirius mumbled a curse or two under his breath, but then the mirror went black and he knew Sirius was on his way.

The quidditch team stood before James expectantly. "Summon your brooms - quietly," James whispered the command. Seven brooms were summoned to their owners within seconds. "We're going to fly the egg into the Great Hall. Each of you, conjure a rope to attach to the egg." The quidditch team walked to the center of the group and conjured a rope each with which to haul the egg. Once the ropes were secure and each member was on his or her broom, James nodded to Byron.

Byron yelled, "We're home clear, run for the Hall." They hoped this would make the Slytherins believe that the egg was still being carried on foot.

James waited until the majority of the house was in the Entrance Hall and the Slytherins had emerged from their hiding places before he signaled the quidditch team to take to the air. As the unit he'd created throughout the year, they flew as one over the banister, through the Entrance Hall and into the Great Hall. The contest was officially over before the Slytherins knew what happened, but the battle still raged below.

A few of the Gryffindors cheered as the egg passed the threshold of the Great Hall. Unfortunately, many of them, in their distraction, were hit by spells. Once a few Slytherins realized what happened, the battle actually intensified instead of subsided. A battle that should have ended peacefully became brutal. A handful of Gryffindors were left to defend themselves, surrounded by older Slytherins.

"It's over," Morgan yelled, trying to end the battle. "We already w-"

He was hit by the langlock spell and couldn't argue anymore.

"No!" Lily yelled. She hit the Slytherin who had cast the spell with the full-body bind. "Stop!"

"_Sectumsempra_," Avery hit Gillette's arm. Gillette instinctually put her hand over her arm. When she pulled it away it was covered in blood. The Gryffindors stared in shock. The school project was, indeed, finished. Now the dueling was personal. Remus glanced at Sirius and Lily, each agreeing this wasn't over. A new wave of spells flew from both sides of the battle.

When James and the rest of the quidditch team landed in the Great Hall, they had expected the rest of Gryffindor to follow shortly thereafter. They turned to watch the group of students through the doorway, saw the pause in battle, and figured the Slytherins had realized they lost. But then there was an explosion of light and James realized the professors were suddenly running toward the Entrance Hall.

He too started running and just before he reached the door, he heard Dumbledore's sonorous voice, "That is enough!"

Everything stopped. Some students even stopped breathing. Dumbledore's voice returned to its normal volume but lost none of its power. "Heads-of-House, please make sure your students are well. Those that need to see Madam Pomfrey are to do so immediately. Prefects, please ensure that each student does his part in restoring the castle to order. There will be a meeting in each of your common rooms this evening." With a final authoritative nod, he turned and reentered the Great Hall.

James watched as the Headmaster paused before the egg, then continued on his way. James and the rest of the quidditch team went to their fellow Gryffindors.

It took a good portion of the rest of that day to get everything sorted out. Most of the students only had minor bruises and scrapes. Several needed spells reversed, but were otherwise unharmed. James lost his antennae, and Morgan was able to speak again. Gillette, by far, received the worst injury, but Madam Pomfrey was skilled and knew how to take care of an injury from that spell now. She would, however, be left with a relatively faint scar, something that was unusual with magical healing.

That evening, Professor McGonagall stepped into the common room for the house meeting and silence fell. She stood silently a moment, looking around the room at each of her students. After all her years of living in and around London, she had not shed her Scottish accent which, at times, became more pronounced. "I hardly know where to begin," she started. "The 'Project' ended with a poor display of sportsmanship and student behavior. I was shocked and appalled." Many of the students hung their heads in guilt. The emotional and physical drain of the day left some of the younger, more emotional students near tears. "But not with you." Most heads snapped back up to look at her in surprise. "I have rarely seen a house pull together as well as you all have this year. I have watched as you have helped each other – the older teaching the younger. Learning to use your gifts and talents to work as a team. You defended each other. You used ingenuity and creativity to overcome obstacles. You went back for your fallen – and not only yours but your competition's. Take these things with you. You will need them in the future. You will need each other in the future." McGonagall fell silent again and looked around the room once more. "I expect you to continue in good sportsmanship. That means minimal gloating," she glanced at Sirius and James, though the corner of her mouth twitched slightly in a suppressed smile. "And, I believe we have one more challenge to overcome." This time she looked pointedly at James. "Mr. Potter, I expect the best possible performance out of our team next weekend."

James grinned broadly and glanced at his teammates. He stood. "Yes ma'am, Professor."

"Very good. Good evening."

Once McGonagall left the common room, a cheer went up that nearly shook the lanterns. Everyone congratulated each other with hugs and pats on the back. They exchanged battle stories, telling of the spells they had used and what had finally taken them down, if they were taken down. For once, James let others tell the stories. This night belonged to Morgan and Byron. The evening wound down rather quickly, as the day had been exhausting for everyone.

The Marauders took up their usual place on the couch and chairs by the fire. They were joined by the fifth-year girls and a few members of the quidditch team at first, but even that crowd whittled down quickly.

Gillette sat comfortably nestled at Sirius' side on the couch. He was absently running his fingers up and down her arm where she now bore a scar. Lily stayed with the group as well, her excuse being that she was too tired to get off the couch. Patty stood behind the center of the couch offering neck and shoulder messages; her current "customer" being Stacey. She had already worked on Sirius and Lily who were the bookends of the couch. Peter sat on the floor, his back to the fire. He was listening to the stories the others told. He had never been that good at dueling, so he had gone down early in the fight, taken out by a jelly-legs jinx. Remus sat on one armchair, his eyes closed, his hands folded neatly on his lap, while James sat on the other armchair. He had been listening to the stories, with special interest in the last battle.

Suddenly, he broke the contemplative silence that had settled on the group of friends. "Is this what our future holds?"

Remus opened his eyes, but didn't reply. In fact, no one replied. They had each wondered that same thing at one point or another in the evening, and none of them really wanted an answer.

Unable to let the question go, James pressed, "Are we really at war?"

"No." Sirius stood up agitatedly and walked to stand before the fire, one hand resting on the mantle. "We're kids - students at Hogwarts - and this was a stupid class assignment." Turning back to the group, he smiled his cocky smile, "And we won." Becoming serious again, he continued, "But this was not a war – not part of _that_ war." He gestured toward the window, indicating the "real world." "It can't be," he whispered and turned back to the fire. Gillette got up and walked over to him. She put her hand on his shoulder and felt the renewed tension thrumming through him. She slid her hand down his arm and grasped his hand. He took hold of it, a tight grip that matched the barely concealed plea in his voice with his last comment.

It was James who broke the silence again. "Well it feels like it," he said quietly.

There was more silence, which was broken when Lily sniffed and got up from the couch. "'Night everyone."

"Night, Lils," Patty and Stacey answered back.

Slowly, the rest drifted away from the fire and headed to bed as well, each lost in his own thoughts.

- - - - -

A/N Thank you all very much. I've been really encouraged by the response to the egg assignment. Thank you. Thank you to all who have reviewed. And thank you to my wonderful betas - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love you.

Nonair - I'm glad you like the implications behind Peter's character. I think he was weak and lazy, but not necessarily as dumb as he seems - at least at times. It's amazing how cunning one can be when it's all about self-preservation, but I digress. I'm glad you liked that the whole house was involved. I really wanted to show that, as the Marauders got older, their world expanded. I don't think you can fight a war the way they did and not care about others. Hee hee... Remus in the girls dorms. Makes you wonder what else he knows. Thanks again for another wonderful review.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 73

In the week preceding the Quidditch Cup, James only held one practice. He figured the team was as ready as it was going to get and, instead of stressing about lost study time, they could use the time to study or do whatever they wanted to let off steam. As it turned out, he was right. The team flew at the top of their game and were more than prepared, and James' first year as Gryffindor quidditch captain ended most successfully with a victory. The game did not last nearly as long as the previous one with Ravenclaw, but it was still exciting, and quite an achievement for the young captain.

The week following the Quidditch Cup, and even during the exams, was spent in hardcore studying and all-nighters in preparation for the O.W.L.s, which were taken very seriously by everyone - students and professors alike - with outside examiners traveling to the school just for these tests. Peter was a nervous wreck, jumping more frequently than normal. Remus could not be found without a book, scroll and quill. James and Sirius approached the exams differently, letting off steam by amusing themselves at the expense of Snivellus or anyone else who caught their eye. This earned James a severe telling-off by Lily, in which she informed him that she would rather date the giant squid than him. This same event also earned him a scar. Apparently, Snivellus took out his stress by using his more potent spells in retaliation for the torment doled out on him. He used his _Sectumsempra_ curse, cutting James' cheek. Fortunately for Snape, the scar was only visible in certain light, or James might have taken Sirius up on the offer to let him severely injure the git. Remus tried to point out that they had started the fight, but they seemed to think permanent bodily disfigurement – however minor – outweighed that little detail - at which time, Remus rolled his eyes and went back to studying.

After the O.W.L.s, they had a week off to lounge before the train would take most of them home. Remus nervously wondered what would happen to him over the summer with the others no longer there to keep the wolf at bay – at least the emotions of the wolf.

But even Remus could be distracted from his woes, which Aden managed to do very successfully when she announced she would be spending the summer at the school. There was a lot of smirking and kissing sounds coming from the other Marauders as they wished Remus luck over the summer.

Thursday, July 4th, was the first full moon of the summer, just around two weeks after everyone left to go home. And like his other summers, it started off deceptively pleasant. Remus had never spent so much time with one person – even the Marauders. He spent a lot of time with all three of the other Marauders; sometimes together, sometimes one-on-one. But there were also times when he wasn't around any of them, whether because he was with Aden, performing his prefect duties, or simply because he wanted to be alone. But without classes or prefect duties, there wasn't much time that he couldn't or didn't spend with Aden. He was surprised to find that he never got bored or tired of her company.

There was a tree by the lake, under which the Marauders spent their lounging time, when they actually sat still long enough to lounge while outside. Currently, Remus was comfortably lying under the tree, his fingers tracing patterns on Aden's back as she sat facing the lake.

"Remus, will I ever get to see you transform?" she asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"'Get to'?" he repeated. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked out over the lake. "Maybe. One day."

"Your friends have seen it. Haven't they?"

Remus frowned at the back of Aden's head. She hadn't turned to look at him, which told him this was something that both bothered her and she had been thinking about for a while. "I can't be in human company when I transform – unless I'm caged," he answered very carefully. It was one thing to trust Aden with his own secrets; it was something else entirely to share his friends' secrets.

She nodded slightly. Quietly she said, "They have." After a minute, she said with a hint of anger in her voice, "You know, the only time you don't give me a straight answer is when you're hiding something."

Remus sighed. It had been a perfect day.

"How did they do it?"

"It's not for me to tell you."

Aden nodded again, then rose and walked to the edge of the lake. Remus sighed again, but followed her and stood next to her.

"You still don't trust me," Aden whispered.

"It's not that. It's just… That secret involves my friends and it's not mine to tell you."

"No, no. I understand that. I mean you still don't trust me with your lycanthropy."

"What do you mean?"

"If I could be guaranteed to be safe, would you show me?"

Remus looked out over the water, contemplating his answer. He knew the "right" answer. That was easy. But really, if he could help it, no one would ever see him transform again. It was one thing to be a cognizant wolf among animagi. In some ways, he could pretend he was just another animagi. But the transformations proved how untrue that really was, and how very unnatural and cursed he was. Being an animagus was a choice and therefore, in his mind, not painful. Being a werewolf was a curse and his body fought the transformation, literally tooth and nail. It made him feel weak - not just physically drained, but mentally, and deep in his soul. And that was why he didn't want anyone to see it. And that was what bound him to his friends deeper than any of them realized. He would fight and die for them because they had literally seen him at his worst – repeatedly – and never faltered or run away. Instead, they shared his burden with him as best as they could. He supposed, one day, he'd let his wife see what he became. And that very likely was going to be Aden – but not yet. Finally, he answered, "It's not a question of safety - or trust," he amended when he saw the look on Aden's face.

"Then what is it?" she asked.

"I just… don't want you to think of me like that. Also," he reached over and cupped her face in his hands, "if I could keep you from ever seeing anything bad in life, I would. There are things you should never have to be witness to."

"That's sweet," Aden replied flatly, though she touched her forehead to his. Pulling back, she continued, "But this isn't just some random 'bad thing.' This has to do with you – with who and what you are. And I want to see it. I want to know all of you."

"Maybe."

"Tonight?"

"No!" Remus answered more sharply than he intended. Smirking, he said, "Maybe – like in ten or fifteen years."

Aden hit him gently on the chest. "Ha, ha," she smirked back at him. Hand in hand they walked back to the school.

That night, Remus said goodnight to Aden and headed toward the tree, leaving Aden alone in her common room to think. She stood, looking out the window of her tower. His friends had seen him transform. That much she knew. And they had all survived. She began to wonder. Before she had time to contemplate the wisdom of what she was doing, she headed out of her common room, down to the Entrance Hall and out into the night. She knew enough from what she'd heard and seen to know that the entrance to the tunnel that would take her to the shack was the Whomping Willow. She also remembered hearing something about a knot. So when stunning the tree failed to still it, she lengthened her wand so she could poke and prod at the tree and its many knots.

It didn't take her too long to find the correct knot, still the tree, and get to the tunnel entrance. The tricky part was lowering herself into the tunnel without breaking contact with the knot and setting the tree free. But after some maneuvering and sliding on her rear, she was far enough into the tunnel that she could retrieve her wand and not fear being hit by the tree. She jogged as quickly as one can while hunched over, trying to make sure she didn't hit the ceiling of the tunnel. She couldn't see well, so she whispered, "_Luminos_."

After what seemed like forever, she saw the door of the Shack ahead. She placed her hand on the doorknob and realized it was locked. "_Alohamora_." Surprisingly, that worked. She heard the lock click and the door cracked ever so slightly open. She took a steadying breath and, just as she pushed the door open, she heard a pain-filled groan, very close at hand.

The transformation had begun and Remus was already curled in on himself when he heard the door. Part of him half-expected to see the stag, dog, and rat, but then he quickly realized how stupid that was since they were home for the summer. Pain seared through him, his bones feeling like they were on fire, and a groan escaped his lips. Though he was immobile, locked in place by the transformation, he was able to lift his head in the direction of the door. A too familiar scent wafted to him as his eyes saw past the pain to the figure standing at the door. "No," he ground out, a tear slipping from his eye. But then the wolf took hold and, though he too was locked in place, not yet finished transforming, he felt the thrill of knowing a human was so close by. He wondered briefly, again, where the stag, dog, and rat were.

Aden's eyes widened, both in horror at the pain she saw clearly written on Remus' face, and in terror at being so close to such a creature. He had nearly finished transforming when instinct took hold and she fled back into the tunnel, pulling hard on the door knob to make sure the door was closed and locked. Just as the door slammed, she heard a mournful howl. The adrenalin boosted her normal senses and she could hear sniffing on the other side. There was a moment of silence and then something large slammed against the door. She screamed and jumped away from the door, tripping as she stepped back, and landing spread-eagled on the floor, staring up at the door. She held her breath, hoping the door would hold. There was another slam that shook dirt and dust from around the doorframe, but the door held. She continued to watch and listen, spellbound, as she heard growling and scratching that grew more insistent with the passing of the seconds. Every once in a while there was a pause and she could see the wolf's nose sniffing at the bottom of the door, searching for her. Then the scratching again as it tried to dig through the floor.

Slowly, Aden got to her feet. There was another pause. It was listening. She wasn't sure how she knew that, but she did. "Remus?" she whispered. She thought she heard a whine from the other side. She took a step forward and reached out tentatively with her hand. She set it on the door, head-high. There were a few more seconds of silence, but they were broken by an angry growl and another thud as the wolf collided with the door. The vibration from the collision rushed up her arm, through her body, and set her feet running. She ran all of the way through the tunnel and out into the night. She took three stumbling steps on the soft grass when she was hit from behind. The tree. She'd forgotten about the tree. It had knocked her to the side, so she rolled over quickly to get a better view of its branches, barely missing being hit by a branch that landed where she had just lain. She scrambled backwards, rolled onto her hands and knees, launched herself forward, and somehow managed to get out of reach of the branches. She continued to run. She ran until she couldn't breathe anymore, then she just fell to the ground, rolled onto her back and cried.

It was the crying that drew him. He was so used to no one being around during the summer, and certainly not at night, that the sound of someone crying was definitely out of place. He approached the form of the girl lying in the grass. She was oblivious to his approach. "Miss?" he tried. "Miss?" The cries stifled and she lay very still. "Miss?" he tried again.

Aden looked around, sure she had heard a voice. She heard it again, and when she looked around she saw a huge hairy form before her. She screamed and tried to back away.

"Miss, I'm not gonna hurt ya." He had startled the girl badly, and tried to reassure her. "I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm Hagrid. Keeper of Keys and Grounds 'ere at Hogwarts."

Aden looked at the giant of a man, wide-eyed. Hagrid. She recognized the name, though she had never met him before. Some students were afraid of him, but most thought he was extremely kind. She hoped the latter was true. "H-Hagrid. I'm A-Aden."

"Aden. Nice ter meecha. What are you doin' out on a night like t'night?" Hagrid asked kindly.

"I… I… I'm sorry. I should g-go." Aden tried to stand, but she felt a sudden pain across her back and sat abruptly back on the ground.

"'Ere. Let me 'elp ya." Hagrid reached out a massive, calloused hand and, with amazing gentleness, helped pull her to her feet.

"Thank you," Aden whispered. "I really should get inside."

"Let me walk ya. I was 'eadin' there m'self."

Aden walked stiffly and slowly next to the giant man. She thanked him again as they parted ways in the Entrance Hall. She continued to walk slowly back to her dorm, fighting more tears as she went. When she arrived, she went to the bathroom to take a shower. She was dirty and stiff and the warmth of the shower would be a welcome relief. She disrobed and, out of the corner of her eye, saw a shadow on her back. Turning so that her back was exposed to the mirror, she looked and saw a livid bruise spreading from one side to the other. She wondered briefly if she should go see Madame Pomfrey, but decided against that as it would lead to too many questions. Plus, Madam Pomfrey might make her stay in the hospital wing overnight, and she didn't want Remus to see her there in the morning. She didn't know if she could face him. This brought more tears to her eyes and, as she stepped into the shower, she released them, letting them wash away with the cleansing water. _Nothing's changed_, she told herself. _Nothing_. She wondered if she could convince herself of that by morning.

She entered the hospital wing at lunch time the next day. Madam Pomfrey greeted her with a thin, slightly forced smile, and she wondered if Pomfrey somehow knew what had happened.

Instead, Madam Pomfrey hugged the girl and said, "He had an unusually rough night last night. I haven't seen him this bad since…" She dabbed at her eyes. "Well, it's been a while. And I had hoped…" She stared for a moment at the sleeping child she had grown to love. Pulling her attention back to the young lady before her, Pomfrey said, "He hasn't woken up yet today, but I expect it will be soon."

Aden also stared at the sleeping Remus. "Thank you," she acknowledged. She walked slowly forward and sat in a chair next to his bed.

Madam Pomfrey watched Aden go to Remus' bed and sit. Being a healer, she noted the stiff way the girl walked and how she gingerly lowered herself onto the chair. The girl also sat straight as a board, rather than relaxing in the chair. Bustling forward quietly, she said, "Aden, dear. Is everything all right?"

Aden continued to stare at Remus and, though she nodded, another tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek.

"Oh dear. What is the matter, child?"

Aden finally drew her eyes from Remus. "I… made a mistake. I had an accident."

"Tell me." Madam Pomfrey took a seat in a nearby chair, turning it to face Aden directly. She listened to the girl's tale from the night before. When she mentioned being hit by the tree, Madam Pomfrey insisted on examining her . The bruising was deep, but nothing was broken. She summoned a potion for the girl to take, but stayed where she was so the girl would continue her story. And her heart broke. She hugged the girl, and gave her some comfort, but she wondered how strong the girl was.

When Remus began to stir, it was a welcome distraction for the healer. She stood and composed herself so she could give her foster son a warm smile to wake up to. "Good afternoon, dear boy."

Remus reached out and took Madam Pomfrey's hand, but he didn't smile. He used to think that he would never, could never, forget the lingering pain from his transformations; but in a matter of a few short months – the months in which the Marauders had all been together on the full moons – he had forgotten. He remembered the emotion, but not the actual pain. And to be experiencing it again hurt, deeper than the physical. But before he could contemplate that line of thinking too far, another thought raced through his brain. "Aden." Remus looked around quickly, immediately regretting it for the throbbing in his head. They locked eyes and neither moved.

"I'll be in my office if you need anything." Madam Pomfrey gave Remus' knee a gentle squeeze before walking away.

Remus watched Aden without speaking for a time. So many thoughts were flooding through his head, he was afraid to say anything. He was relieved that she was okay. He was pissed that she had gone against his wishes. He felt betrayed by her acting against what he wanted. He also felt shame that she had seen him like that. And, most pervasively, he was afraid. Usually, Aden greeted him warmly, with a smile or a touch, and a sweet greeting. But she was just sitting in her seat and he couldn't place the emotion in her eyes. It's foreignness did nothing to calm him.

"I'm sorry," Aden finally whispered. She really didn't know what else to say.

Remus broke eye contact, unable to take her gaze any longer. He nodded slightly. "You're sorry. I thought I had made it very clear that I did not want you there."

"I know. And I'm sorry."

"You could have been hurt. _I_ could have hurt you."

"I'm sorry," Aden said emotionally.

"I didn't want you to see that. I asked you to wait."

"I'm sorry!" Aden raised her voice and got to her feet. "I'm sorry. How many times can I say it? I'm sorry." She started pacing next to his bed. "I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you. I'm sorry that I went there. I'm sorry that I saw what I saw. I'm sorry that I'm now terrified, and what that means. You were right. And I don't know if I can handle this. I thought I could. But I just don't know now." She was suddenly silent, realizing the implications of what she had just said aloud. "I'm sorry," she whispered again. "I… I need time." Remus sat stock still as she whispered her last words. She reached out and touched his hand, but he didn't respond, so she turned and left.

Remus got up after Aden had gone and paced next to his bed. He stopped and stared at the food tray next to his bed. Without thinking, he picked up the tray and chucked it as hard as he could against the wall. The crash reverberated though the empty hospital wing. He began picking up anything in the vicinity and throwing it as hard as he could.

Madam Pomfrey rushed out of her office at the sound of the first crash. Her hand covered her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes as she watched Remus rage in his corner of the room. She rushed toward him. He was reaching for something else when she got to him, so she grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms to his body. For a small, plump witch, she was surprisingly strong and knew how to restrain someone who was injured. He fought her for just a moment before slumping against her. Both of them sank to the floor and she held him as his rage turned to tears. Aden hadn't said she was breaking up with him, but they all knew it was just a matter of time. And he felt the raw pain of his curse ripping someone else from his life.

- - - -

Remus gave Aden time. And the castle had never felt more lonely and stifling. A week after the full moon, while Remus sat under the familiar tree by the lake, he heard footsteps approach. They were light, with a short stride, and he knew who they belonged to without having to look.

Aden sat down next to Remus under the shade of the tree.

"I talked with my parents. Well, I wrote to them and they wrote back."

_She's stalling_. He started absently pulling at the grass in front of his crossed legs.

"They… I needed some advice. So, I asked them about… you know… dating a werewolf."

Remus' head whipped around to see if she was telling the truth. She refused to look back at him. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his suddenly racing heart and mind.

"I didn't say it was you, though… well, it's not like I've dated anyone else. But… Did you know you have to register when you come of age?" she glanced at Remus, who was concentrating very hard on something in the distance. "Yeah. I'm sure you do," she chuckled dryly. "There's this ministry woman – Umbridge. She's been pushing quite a few anti-half… well, laws that make the werewolf life very difficult. I'm sure you know that, too."

Remus continued to stare.

"They – my parents – They forbade me from even thinking about dating a werewolf." When Remus continued to remain silent, Aden felt the need to defend herself. "You… You know how important family is to me. I want kids - lots of them. And that wouldn't be possible with… And then there's the job situation. But, I can't… Maybe I could handle just not having kids, or just the job thing, or just the… I'm not that strong, Remus. It's too much. I don't know what I'd do without my family. Add everything else on top of that…"

"It must be nice… comforting… easy, even, for you to have such a convenient excuse," Remus said quietly, though his words were biting and bitter.

"That's not fair! There was nothing easy about this."

"_You_ asked for this. _You_ wanted to know. _You_ had to enter that damned tunnel."

"You couldn't hide it from me forever, and you know it!" Aden retorted and stood up.

Remus continued sitting on the ground.

"I'm going… My parents are coming to get me." She began to walk away.

Remus got to his feet. "Aden," he called after her. When she stopped walking, he came to her. He took her hands in his and put his forehead to hers one last time. "I love you."

Aden let out a sob. She threw her arms around Remus' neck and cried on his shoulder. He held her until she stopped crying, and continued to hold her. They stood there for what seemed like an eternity and yet, when it was over, it hadn't been nearly long enough. Aden pulled away slowly, and then walked away, their hands grasping to hold onto what was now past until she had walked far enough away from where Remus stood that they couldn't hold on anymore.

Remus lay back down under the tree. He was unable to watch her go. He supposed he should write a letter to the guys letting them know. But not today.

- - - - -

A/N - Please don't hate me. Y'all knew it was going to happen eventually, right? Thank you to my ever faithful reviewers. You guys - I can't tell you how much I appreciate hearing from you. Thank you. And thank you to Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. You're awesome betas. Love ya.

Oh, Oh. Before I forget, this is the last chapter of Part 3. Be on the lookout this coming Monday for the start of Part 4. I know. It's a bit of an abrupt stop, but it doesn't really fit to break after next chapter either, so I'm doing it now.


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